Speculation on the guilt of Lucy Letby and possible future appeals has been “upsetting” for the families of victims, according to a solicitor representing them.

Letby was convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven others, with two attempts on one child, when she worked on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

Letby is serving 15 whole-life orders – making her only the fourth woman in UK history to be told she will never be released from prison.

In recent days, there has been speculation the convicted child killer may launch a fresh appeal with a new legal team, with her new barrister claiming there is “absolutely” a strong case Letby is innocent.

Tamlin Bolton, who represents the families of six victims, described the speculation as “upsetting” for all of her clients.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Monday, the solicitor said: “I can’t stress enough how upsetting that has been for all of the families that I represent.

“And they have thought about so many ways in which they can try to address that and deal with it and make sure they put their voice across. But of course they’re restricted by wanting to keep themselves confidential and private.

“So it’s a really difficult challenge for them to try and avoid social media, avoid the reporting about it.

“But when you have children that are now eight or nine years old, they are looking at TikTok, they’re looking at social media and there are people claiming that the harm that was caused to them or their sibling was not caused by somebody who’s been found guilty of those crimes by a jury and whose appeals have been exhausted, and the Court of Appeal have also said she remains guilty of these crimes.”

A public inquiry examining events at the Countess of Chester Hospital following Letby’s multiple convictions is due to begin on September 10 in Liverpool.

Ms Bolton said it was important to highlight that this was focussed on the “duty of candour” between patients and hospitals, rather than the criminal convictions “which are final”.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday, the solicitor said: “The inquiry process is entirely different from the criminal trial and the inquiry is looking at very different things … (it) is dealing with the duty of candour between patients and hospitals. It’s looking at the role of a number of different bodies and how they interplay with patient safety in the hospital and it’s looking at governance.

“It is not focused on the criminal convictions which are final and have been through an exhaustive appeal process.

“The families are devastated by the reporting at the moment. It is the families that are going through this, continuing to go through this in its enormity and sincerity.

“They are the ones still raising children now, who will have to explain to them one day exactly what happened to them as children or their siblings on that unit … If you are going to give an expert opinion on something and hold yourself out as an expert, it’s really important that you have all of the information before you make that declaration or you give that opinion.

“Because anything else outside of that is simply speculation and it would be unfortunate to fall prey to the same trap that you are being critical of when you reference the jury’s decision and the decision of the Court of Appeal.”