Families in hospital inquiry maintain concerns over building safety

Relatives participating in a public inquiry concerning Scotland’s largest hospital complex continue to express worries regarding the structural safety of its facilities. The testimony presented during the inquiry has distressed these family members, who state they remain unconvinced that the issues have been resolved. They are requesting the release of an interim report to determine if the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow presently comply with safety requirements. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde asserts its ability to “provide absolute assurance” to patients, families, staff, and the public regarding the safety of the hospitals. The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry indicates that its chairman, Lord Brodie, is concentrating on completing his final report for prompt publication. Established in 2020, the inquiry followed the fatalities of several patients who acquired uncommon infections during their treatment at the hospital campus. Its scope includes investigating whether problems with the water and ventilation systems affected patient safety. The most recent stage of the inquiry, which concluded in the current month, received testimonies from senior management, estates personnel, whistleblowers, independent specialists, and impacted families. Family members report that the testimony presented over the last 12 weeks has both astonished and further angered them. The inquiry revealed that: Families impacted by the situation informed BBC Scotland News that, three years after providing their testimony to the inquiry, they have received no information to assure them that the hospital’s issues have been completely resolved. They further alleged that senior executives prioritized safeguarding the hospital’s image over patient safety. Mark Bisset, a resident of Peebles, continues to bring his 12-year-old daughter, Charly, to the Royal Hospital for Children for scheduled appointments. In 2019, at the age of seven, she received a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and had a stem cell transplant at the adult hospital, as the children’s cancer wards were shut following multiple infection outbreaks. During her five-month hospitalization, Charly also acquired several infections, which her father suspects may have originated from the facility itself. “Four times our other children had to come in and say goodbye to their sister,” Mr Bisset stated. Charly is currently free of cancer but still needs assistance for persistent health conditions. Mr Bisset reports that his family remains “petrified” with each hospital visit. He commented, “You get the fear. I’ve asked for her care to be moved to Edinburgh because I just don’t trust that hospital any longer, I don’t feel it is safe.” He mentioned that hearing the inquiry’s evidence was difficult, but asserted that “you need the truth to come out.” Similar to other families interviewed, Mark states he lacks confidence in senior personnel at the health board and has never received assurances that the hospital is currently safe. He remarked, “They are denying there is a link between the infections and the hospital.” He continued, “We’ve heard all this evidence where they deny there is a link, but when you go back there are still filters on the taps. If there wasn’t a problem then why do they need filters on the taps?” Maureen Dynes’s husband, Tony, aged 63, passed away in 2021 following cancer treatment at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Maureen, a resident of East Kilbride, discovered her husband had contracted two infections, stenotrophomonas and aspergillus, only after requesting his medical records. She expressed that some of the revelations from the inquiry made her “feel sick” and found it “disgusting” that the health board might have been aware of the issues. She stated, “There is a clear lack of transparency.” She added, “If there was honesty and transparency about the state of the building it would allay some of the fears for people going in.” Although improvements have been made to the water and ventilation systems in the children’s wards, she was unaware of any modifications to the ward where Tony received treatment. She further commented, “It’s the only bone marrow transplant ward in Scotland, it’s where were are told is the safest place to go – but my experience is it’s not as safe as it should be.” Louise Slorance’s husband, Andrew, passed away from Covid in 2020 while undergoing cancer treatment at the hospital, and he also tested positive for aspergillus. She maintains that there is an ongoing failure of governance and efficient management within the hospitals, and considers an interim report “vital” given what she perceives as “an ongoing patient safety risk.” Patrick McGuire, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, which represents numerous families involved in the inquiry, stated that the evidence presented made it “very clear” that the hospital was “unsafe for patients and riddled with management failures from the beginning.” He commented: “We still don’t know if the hospital is now safe and this is of huge concern to my clients. This is why it’s vital that the inquiry consider publishing an interim report on the current levels of safety and what still has to be done to ensure the welfare of patients.” Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the inquiry stated: “In order to get to that final report as quickly as possible, Lord Brodie’s approach is to focus on the final report.” The inquiry is scheduled to receive additional evidence next April, prior to its concluding hearings in August 2025. In an official statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde declared: “We can provide absolute assurance to all of our patients, families, staff and the public that our hospitals are safe. This is clearly evidenced by publicly available indicators of safety collected and monitored at a local and national level. Mandatory surveillance of healthcare associated infections demonstrates NHSGGC consistently performs better than many other boards across Scotland and mortality rates at the QEUH campus are in line with, and at times lower than, the Scottish average.” The health board affirmed its ongoing commitment to assisting the inquiry in thoroughly ascertaining the facts. It further added, “We extend our sympathies to any families who have lost loved ones in our care and all those affected during the inquiry.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.