SNP must tell all about alleged pressure to open Queen Elizabeth University Hospital before it was safe
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar describes what happened at the two Glasgow hospitals as the ‘biggest scandal in the history of this parliament’
It was supposed to be a safe place. In fact, it should have been one of the safest places in Scotland. Instead, the £840 million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children became, for some patients, a death trap.
Opened to great fanfare in 2015, the hospital was hailed as a great step forward for Scotland’s NHS. Now the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board has admitted that, “on the balance of probabilities”, there was a link between contaminated water supplies and infections in child cancer patients.
An independent review in 2021 found 84 children were infected with rare bacteria while undergoing treatment and the health board has been named as a suspect in a corporate homicide investigation, following the deaths of three children and 73-year-old Gail Armstrong, who died after contracting a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings.
‘We were all lied to’
To make matters even worse, it is alleged that patients were lied to and whistleblowers were bullied. The health board has also admitted that the hospital was opened too early – despite safety concerns.
So when Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar described what happened at the hospitals as the "biggest scandal in the history of this parliament" at First Minister’s Questions, this was no hyperbole.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay’s anger was obvious. “We were all lied to, all disbelieved, demeaned and smeared. We have had families devastated and lives traumatised,” he said.
The health board claims pressure was applied to open before it was safe. John Swinney, Deputy First Minister at the time, denies the government did this. We now need to know what was said and by whom.
Full disclosure
Speaking at Holyrood yesterday, Swinney said they would release any relevant documents that had not been passed to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, which has been examining what happened.
We welcome this decision. However, the SNP has a considerable track record of secrecy and attempts to block sensitive information from being made public.
In this case, they should be under absolutely no illusions that they must do nothing other than provide the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They will only make things worse for themselves if they do not.
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