NHS bosses who cover up mistakes face the sack under tough measures to be announced by Health Secretary Wes Streeting this week.

It comes after warnings that hospital chiefs silenced senior doctors who feared killer nurse Lucy Letby may be responsible for the deaths of babies in a neonatal unit.

Retired Ch Supt Nigel Wenham last week told a public inquiry that pediatricians at the Countess of Chester Hospital “raised concerns repeatedly but unfortunately they were shut down”.

Letby, 34, is serving 15 life sentences after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to kill seven others.

Mr Streeting will set out plans to regulate health chiefs, ensuring those who fail to meet professional standards can no longer work in the NHS.

The changes are designed to tackle a “culture of cover-up” found in several patient safety scandals. Ministers are determined to stop using failed NHS bosses who leave one organization and go into top jobs in another part of the country.

Health Minister Karin Smyth said: “The truth is that the processes to stop a failed boss leaving a trust in disgrace, only to turn up for another months later, are shamefully weak.

“There is no legal obligation for managers to be honest when things have gone wrong. That must change. We will end this merry-go-round of failure.”

A 12-week consultation starting on Tuesday will consider options including a voluntary register of NHS managers or a fully statutory system enforced by law.

The Department of Health and Welfare will also consult on whether to introduce a new duty of professional candor for managers.

Claims that the NHS is covering up mistakes have been raised in an investigation looking at the deaths of 2,000 patients on mental health wards in Essex between 2000 and 2023.

A Health Service report on the state of the NHS by consultant surgeon Lord Darzi warned in September: “There are some deep cultural issues in the NHS that need to be addressed. These include covering up problems and taking retaliatory action against doctors who raise concerns.”

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said: “It is right that NHS managers have the same level of responsibility as other NHS professionals, but it is crucial that this comes alongside the necessary support and development to enable all managers to meet the high the requirements. -quality standards that we expect.”

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “Patients tell us that accountability and transparency are often lacking in their care journeys.”