In a shocking admission, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has conceded that there was likely a “causal connection” between infections suffered by patients and the hospital environment, particularly the water system, at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow. This admission comes as part of the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, which was launched to examine mistakes made in the planning, design, and construction of the QEUH campus following concerns about unusual infections and patient deaths.
The tragic case of 23-year-old Molly Cuddihy has shed light on the hospital’s long-standing issues. Molly, who was diagnosed with metastatic Ewing sarcoma at the age of 15, developed a serious infection in 2018 while receiving cancer treatment at the QEUH. Her father, John Cuddihy, has revealed that concerns about the hospital’s water supply were first raised in 2018, the same year Molly developed septic shock.
Tragically, Molly passed away in August last year, and her death is now being investigated by prosecutors. In a heartbreaking statement, John Cuddihy said, “Molly’s words and experience must continue to echo beyond her lifetime.” He expressed disappointment that his daughter was not mentioned in the health board’s submission to the inquiry, stressing the importance of victims’ voices being heard.
The NHSGGC’s admission also comes in the wake of the death of 10-year-old Milly Main, who died in 2017 after contracting the Stenotrophomonas bacteria while undergoing treatment for leukaemia at the Royal Hospital for Children, which is adjacent to the QEUH. Milly’s mother, Kimberly Darroch, welcomed the admission from the health board but said it should have come much earlier.
Opposition politicians have been scathing in their criticism, with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar describing the QEUH scandal as “one of the worst failures in modern Scottish public life.” Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr. Sandesh Gulhane accused the health board of a “cover-up at the very top.”
The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry is ongoing, and it is hoped that the victims’ testimonies and the health board’s admission will lead to meaningful change and accountability within the NHS in Scotland. As John Cuddihy said, “Nothing will bring Molly back. Our hope now is that her testimony, her suffering and her courage help ensure that no other young person, and no other family, has to endure what she did.”