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Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, has publicly expressed his sorrow for the distress experienced by families who lost loved ones due to infections contracted at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow. Despite this, he maintained his view that the hospital remains safe based on the information currently available to him. Swinney engaged in an online discussion with those affected by the hospital’s issues, offering his condolences and acknowledging their difficult experiences.
The QEUH campus, which houses the Royal Hospital for Children, opened in 2015 as Scotland’s largest health facility. However, concerns soon arose after a number of cancer patients died and many others fell ill following infections acquired during treatment within the hospital. In response, a public inquiry was launched in 2019 by the then health secretary, Jeane Freeman, to investigate the hospital’s design, construction, commissioning, and maintenance, as well as the subsequent impact on patient health.
In an interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Swinney revealed that during last week’s meeting he apologized directly to families, stating, “I expressed my regret for the experiences of families and in some cases for the loss of children who had been cared for at the hospital.” He reaffirmed his belief in the hospital’s safety but emphasized the importance of allowing the ongoing public inquiry sufficient time and space to reach its conclusions regarding the construction faults and their consequences.
When questioned about the safety assessments for each ward, Swinney did not provide a definitive response but noted that continuous work has been undertaken to ensure safety throughout the hospital. He referred to evidence presented during the inquiry, including detailed analyses of the water and ventilation systems, which have contributed to increased confidence in the hospital’s safety. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde acknowledged in their January submission to the inquiry that faults in the water system likely caused infections in some pediatric patients. The health board has since implemented mitigation measures, such as specialized cleaning protocols and enhanced infection control processes. Both families affected and Scottish government representatives expressed appreciation for the engagement and ongoing dialogue with the government, with the public inquiry led by Lord Brodie still underway
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