In a dramatic U-turn, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has finally admitted that contaminated water at a Glasgow super-hospital was the cause of serious infections in child cancer patients, which were linked to four deaths, including that of 10-year-old Milly Main.
The admission came in the closing submissions to a long-running inquiry that was launched after deaths linked to infections at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. NHSGGC stated that it was “more likely than not” that the children’s infections had “a connection to the state of the hospital water system.”
Milly’s mother, Kimberly Darroch, welcomed the admission but said it should have come much earlier. “As a mother, I’ve spent six years fighting for answers that should have been given at the very beginning,” she said.
The U-turn was hailed as a “turning point” by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who has pressed the board and the Scottish government for answers for years alongside Darroch. Sarwar called for a corporate homicide investigation that is already in progress to be expanded to include politicians whom he accused of a “cover-up.”
The Scottish government, which established the public inquiry to allow families to get answers and lessons to be learned for future hospital projects, said it remains committed to assisting the inquiry and would not comment further at this time.
NHSGGC, for its part, said it remains fully committed to supporting the inquiry in its investigations.
The revelations have sent shockwaves through the Scottish healthcare system, raising serious questions about the handling of the crisis and the accountability of those responsible. As the inquiry continues, families and the public will be watching closely to ensure that the full truth is uncovered and that appropriate actions are taken to prevent such tragedies from happening again.