Ministers Unaware of Water and Ventilation Issues Before Hospital Opening
Scottish government ministers were not informed about problems related to the water and ventilation systems at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow prior to its opening in 2015, according to a newly published document from the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry.
The document, authored by the inquiry's legal team, states that any political pressure to open the hospital on schedule was exerted "in ignorance of both issues." This clarification follows questions raised by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar regarding the involvement of politicians in the hospital's decision-making process.
First Minister John Swinney has previously denied that the government pressured the hospital's early opening.
The public inquiry was initiated in 2019 after multiple deaths and elevated infection rates at the QEUH campus raised concerns about patient safety, particularly at the Royal Hospital for Children, where immunocompromised children were treated for blood disorders and cancer.
Among the fatalities was 10-year-old Milly Main, who contracted an infection while in remission from leukaemia, with 84 children reported to have been infected.
The inquiry, examining the hospital's design, construction, commissioning, and maintenance and their effects on patient safety, has heard testimony from 186 witnesses and will release its findings in due course.
The recently released document also addresses ongoing concerns about infection risks at the hospital, noting that some water and ventilation systems do not comply with national guidelines and require adequate risk assessment.
It further comments on a recent report that indicated insufficient progress by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) in acknowledging past failures, accurately reporting infections, and restoring public confidence.
"Lack of Oversight" Identified
The document prepared by Fred Mackintosh KC and Craig Connal KC states:
"It was not until 2018/2019 that the Scottish government first understood that NHSGCC had decided to build this flagship hospital not in compliance with Scottish government guidance.
The Scottish government did not know about the problems with the water system until 2018, but then neither did the senior management and board of NHSGCC due to failures to provide sufficient resources and lack of oversight by those responsible for the water system."
In January, Anas Sarwar presented government meeting notes from 2019 and 2020, in which officials and health board members reflected on the hospital’s opening.
The notes indicated that "political pressure" was experienced by the health board and that "no consideration was given to delaying the opening of the hospital despite the issues being faced with completion and operation."
Sarwar described this as "damning" evidence, asserting it showed "in black and white" that political pressure had been applied.
First Minister John Swinney urged the public to await the full inquiry findings from Lord Brodie.
The inquiry document clarifies that any pressure from the Scottish government to open the hospital on time and within budget was not unusual, but ministers were unaware of the full circumstances.
It adds:
"The Scottish government systems to manage the procurement of this hospital it paid for were inadequate for the task of ensuring that it was built to technical standards the public and Scottish government as funder should have expected."
Timeline of the Hospital Controversy
The document further states that patients and the public "will rightly want to know" that the hospital’s ventilation systems comply with relevant Scottish government guidance.
"Where they do not, there must be validation that systems meet their design specification and that any derogation has been subject to risk assessment," it says.
It continues:
"Even once these first two requirements are met, it is necessary to be confident that the Infection Prevention and Control team in NHSGCC is alive to risks to patient safety from the hospital environment.
Such confidence can only be earned by an IPC management team that is open about its failures in the past, demonstrates a willingness to learn, and change."
"Serious Failure" Acknowledged
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie commented that the clarification document highlighted "SNP ministers' failure to protect patients and safeguard public money."
She added:
"While this note is welcome, it is no substitute for the examination under oath that should have been carried out as part of this inquiry.
After all the spin, this makes clear there was a serious failure of government oversight at the heart of this scandal and the SNP must now stop lying about their role in it."
Last week, NHSGGC announced plans to rebuild a cancer ward at QEUH due to mould and water issues.
The health board described the proposal as "necessary" following ongoing defects that disrupted operations in the adult bone marrow transplant unit.
Health Secretary Neil Gray stated that the Scottish government would collaborate with the health board on the redevelopment plans.
