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The investigation investigating how nurse Lucy Letby killed seven babies will now have more authority to compel witnesses to testify.

After the families of the victims complained that the independent probe did not go far enough, ministers enhanced it in a significant move.

The investigation was not initially given all statutory authority when it was ordered after Letby was found guilty this month.

Steve Barclay, the secretary of health, claimed to have listened to the families.

According to him, a judicially supervised statutory inquiry was the wisest course of action and "respects the wishes" of the affected families.

According to Mr. Barclay, the power of compulsion was the main benefit.

He continued, "My top priority is to make sure the families get the answers they deserve and that those who need to be held accountable do so."

He stated that an announcement on the inquiry's chairman would be made in the upcoming days; ministers have previously stated that a judge will serve in that capacity.

Attorney Richard Scorer, who is defending two of the families, applauded the government's statement.

"It is crucial that the chair possess the authority to order the disclosure of documents and to compel witnesses to testify under oath. Without these powers, the investigation would have been ineffective, depriving our clients of the answers they need and deserve, the attorney general claimed.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said it was appropriate that the families' desires had now been honored and added that "no stone can be left unturned in getting to the truth."

It is crucial that the NHS, its regulators, physicians, and executives absorb these lessons, according to Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation.

The events in Chester have undoubtedly prompted a number of issues, and the inquiry will be in the greatest position to determine the facts of these events and to provide recommendations for the trust and the larger NHS, he continued.

Letby, 33, will spend the rest of her life behind bars after being found guilty of murdering seven newborns and trying to kill six more between 2015 and 2016 while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal ward.

Throughout the 10-month trial, the jury was unable to reach convictions on six further attempted murders, and she was found not guilty of two of them.

She became the most prolific child serial killer in contemporary British history after being convicted.

Later, it was revealed to the BBC that hospital administrators tried to intimidate physicians while failing to look into Letby's alleged wrongdoings.

According to doctors who worked there, the hospital reportedly put off notifying the authorities despite months of concerns that the nurse might have been murdering infants.

Letby was the subject of initial concerns from the unit's head consultant, Dr. Stephen Brearey, in October 2015.

She continued to attack five more kids, killing two of them because nothing was done.

Doctors had been ordered by hospital management to apologize to Letby in writing and to stop bringing false accusations against her.

There have been calls for stronger regulation of NHS managers as a result of the top managers involved moving on to work in other prominent positions within the NHS.

Letby is one of many well-known offenders who have chosen not to show up.

Authorities to compel attendance already exist, but Ministry of Justice sources claim they are rarely employed.

According to a source in the Ministry of Justice, having explicit legislation that permits judges to extend sentences by two years will probably encourage them to do so.