The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Children’s Hospital in Glasgow is Scotland’s biggest hospital.
The Hospitals Inquiry was set up after patient deaths at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow – including of 10-year-old Milly Main.
The inquiry is examining whether water and ventilation systems in the hospitals were unsafe and presented an additional risk to patients.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde submitted the report claiming the site had no excess infections since 2015 – but the “expansive” document was rejected as it would delay the inquiry at this stage.
Milly Main died after contracting an infection at the Royal Hospital for Children.
The report’s findings conflicted with an independent review published in 2021, external, led by Professor Mike Stevens.
It found the deaths of at least two child cancer patients were at least in part down to infection linked to the hospital environment at the campus – which includes the Royal Hospital for Children.
At a procedural hearing on Tuesday, lawyers for affected families and doctors who became whistle-blowers questioned why a 218 page report had been presented to the inquiry just three weeks before hearings were due to start on 19 August.
They argued it gave their clients very little time to consider it properly.
Fred Mackintosh KC, the lead counsel to the inquiry, said it would add delay and cost to the public inquiry as he would have to carry out further assessments on the independence of the experts commissioned by the health board.
He added they would also need to consider the data, and to seek additional reports.
‘Unfortunate’ timing
The inquiry’s remit also covers investigating the problems that led to the opening of the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh being delayed.
Peter Gray KC, representing NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, told the inquiry that it was “unfortunate” the report was only now being made available.
He said it had been produced “as quickly as reasonably practicable”, given the volume of data collected and how busy its authors had been.
Lord Brodie, left, said that for reasons of “practicality” and “principality” he would refuse the motion to have the report submitted as evidence.
He said that it was prepared for a single core participant and while he did not question its integrity, it would go against the inquisitorial nature of a public inquiry to accept it, and turn the inquiry into an adversarial one.
Lord Brodie also said that had he accepted it, the consequence would have been a delay in the next round of hearings.
These will go ahead later this month.
Folks should wake up to the reality that our country builds poor quality infrastructure.
Big bucks for poor quality is now very much the norm and the new Queen Elizabeth 2 Hospital has proved no exception.
Schools are another example of poor quality building. And who can forget the collapsing walls? But it’s worse than that Jerry built with longevity designed out they are tommorow’s slums today.
Or cladding. Many know about Grenfell. But do they know about the new Anniesland College that had to be closed at emergency notice when the cladding panels started to fall off revealing grave design defects.
And the list goes on and on.
Building rubbish, low quality rubbish at big bucks prices has become an art form. The procurement delivery model has changed. An industry has changed. But how and why?
Well, for that you need to look initially at Mrs Thatcher and then the Blair and Brown years.
Self regulation to allow the private sector to do what it does best ( rubbish at expensive prices) and PFI (rubbish on very expensive hire purchase) is the ticket for that.
Freed to design, build and self certify infrastructure to a hapless public the profits have just rolled in and in. Design and construct with self certification is now the industry norm.
The slaughter of the poor unfortunates in Grenfell was an example of industry self safety and design certification. Oh how the poor pay in so many ways, and not just with money as the corporate barons make hay.
But really, do the masses care? I don’t think they do. Lambs to the slaughter they are but the carcasses for corporate interest to feed upon.
And there, I haven’t even mentioned two large ferries, a fleet of smaller very expensive hybrid electric ferries gone bad, the Cameron House fire building standards outrage, the huge recycling plant fires now becoming the norm. These are just wider examples of the failure to regulate and facilitate a robust delivery of goods and services.
Ah well, that’s the life we choose. Unless and until we address the issues, then nothing will change.
Lady Michelle Mone would be proud.