Sarwar calls for former nursing chief to be investigated over Disneyland claims
The Scottish Labour leader also said John Swinney is not fit to be First Minister.
Anas Sarwar says the former chief nursing officer should be investigated over claims she suggested grieving families be given a trip to Disneyland.
The Scottish Labour leader also said John Swinney is not fit to be First Minister because of his handling of the water contamination deaths at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Fiona McQueen, who was the top nursing officer overseeing infection strategies during the scandal at the super-hospital, suggested NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde should have paid off the bereaved families with a “trip to Disneyland”.
Last week First Minister John Swinney said he still has confidence in Ms McQueen, who is now chair of the Scottish Police Authority.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar now says Ms McQueen’s comments “merit deep investigation”.
Speaking to journalists after first minister’s questions in Holyrood, Mr Sarwar said: “I think it merits deep investigation, because reading the testimonies of the families and the evidence of [whistleblower] Christine Peters, remember how much pain these families have been put through, and then saying in the face of that pain they should get cash bungs, trips to Disneyland, give the kids ice cream to cheer them up.
“I’ve been fighting with them for eight years.
“This is about more than politics, it’s about patient safety.
“These families deserve answers and justice and I won’t stop until they get it.”
First Minister John Swinney did not stop to speak to journalists in Holyrood, something that Mr Sarwar said is “more than shameful”, and said it shows he is not fit to lead the country.
He said: “He tries to pretend there was no political pressure being applied on the inquiry when in actual fact it is beyond doubt there was political pressure applied to open the hospital when it was not ready.
“It shows he’s not fit to be First Minister.”
Whistleblower Ms Peters gave a written statement to the Scottish hospitals inquiry which said: “At one point she [Ms McQueen] said that she couldn’t understand ‘why Greater Glasgow and Clyde had not just offered the families 50 grand, which is a trip to Disneyland, rather than deny that there had been harm caused’.”
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