Families challenge John Swinney's super-hospital apology claim
The First Minister met the affected families last week, where he said he apologised to them.
Families of children who died at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital have disputed John Swinney’s claims that he apologised to them.
Last week the First Minister met families of cancer patients who had contracted infections while undergoing treatment at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. On Sunday, he said he apologised to them when they met.
This comes after it emerged the £840 million hospital opened too early despite safety concerns, leading to water contamination and other infection issues.
Several children’s deaths have been linked to the contaminated water supply.
The First Minister said he apologised to the families when he met with them on Thursday.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sundays with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Swinney said: “I expressed regret for the experiences of the families and for the loss of children who were being cared for at the hospital.
“I said to the families I believe the hospital is safe based on all the data I have available to me.
“We have a public inquiry into the original construction and development of the hospital and the issues that have emerged as a consequence.
“It’s important that I leave that inquiry the adequate space to come to its conclusions.”
He was then asked: “Did you apologise?”
Mr Swinney replied: “Of course I did, yes.”
The First Minister added: “We set up a public inquiry.
“I think the SNP government has responded to the concerns from members of the public by establishing a public inquiry and individual case review.
“In the here and now where there are problems, the Scottish Government through NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is addressing the situation.”
However the group said they received no apology from Mr Swinney. In a statement, they said: “Despite the gravity of the discussions, at no point during the session was a formal apology offered by either the First Minister or the cabinet secretary.
“The meeting was intended to provide a platform for those affected to seek transparency and acknowledgement of the hardships endured.”
They said “the absence of an apology has been noted as a significant oversight in the pursuit of meaningful reconciliation and justice”.
The statement added: “This morning the First Minister said to Laura Kuenssberg that he offered the families an apology during this meeting. We can confirm that this simply never happened.”
Hours later Mr Swinney issued a statement in response and said: “I expressed my sincere sorrow and regret during the long, and at times emotional, call with families.
“It was primarily an opportunity for them to tell me their experiences and for me to listen but I also tried to communicate to them how sorry I was about their experiences.
“I have obviously not communicated that effectively so I want to be crystal clear today - I am deeply sorry for the issues they have experienced at the QEUH and all that families have gone through.
“Their pain, trauma and suffering is unimaginable and I have said the conversation on Thursday was the start of a wider discussion to help families get the answers they deserve, beyond the work of the Scottish hospitals inquiry.”
Dame Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, said: “Once again John Swinney refused to take responsibility for his government’s shameful record on the QEUH.
“The SNP ignored warning after warning and backed up the health board as they lied to families and bullied whistleblowers.
“John Swinney’s apology to the families affected by the QEUH scandal will ring hollow as long as he continues to obstruct the truth and cover up his government’s failings.
“What happened at the QEUH was the worst scandal in the history of devolution and Scotland deserves to know why the hospital was opened before it was safe and whether it is safe now.”
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