In a damning development, the long-running public inquiry into the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow has uncovered a litany of failures and deceptions by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGCC). The inquiry has heard how the health board initially denied and delayed acknowledging issues with the hospital’s water and ventilation systems, which were linked to fatal infections in patients.
The inquiry’s senior counsel, Fred Mackintosh KC, has criticised NHSGCC’s “wilful blindness” to problems with the QEUH building, stating that the board’s initial denials and delayed acceptance of the infection issues had “severely impacted” the work of the inquiry. Families of patients who suffered or died after contracting infections at the hospital have expressed their outrage, saying they were “lied to”, “demeaned” and “smeared” by the health board.
Nicola Sturgeon, who was First Minister when the QEUH opened in 2015, has denied applying pressure to open the hospital prematurely or having any knowledge of safety concerns at the time. However, the inquiry has heard that senior managers at NHSGCC failed to ask questions about the hospital’s design and construction, despite clear issues with the water and ventilation systems.
The NHSGCC has now admitted that the issues with the water system likely caused infections in child cancer patients, and has offered a “sincere and unreserved apology” to the affected patients and families. The board has also acknowledged that three whistleblowers were not treated “as they ought to have been” and that the process had a “significant impact on their wellbeing”.
The inquiry, which is set to publish its full report and recommendations at a later date, has been described by the families as a fight for the truth. They have called on politicians to act, stating that the QEUH building remains unsafe.
