Labour’s health spokesperson in the Holyrood parliament has warned that no obstacle should be placed in the way of the judge-led Scottish Hospitals Inquiry getting to the truth of the infections scandal at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children even if the cost continues to rise exponentially above an eye-watering £20 million.
Figures for lawyers alone have been estimated already at around £6 million and counting with all the money coming from the public purse, as did the £870 million it cost to build the hospitals in the first instance.
“While an inquiry inevitably costs money, it should not be used to create obstacles in the quest to get to the truth.
“I urge all involved to ensure it can shed light so NHS Scotland and the SNP government can learn from the mistakes made.”
The site, including the Royal Hospital for Children, was hailed as world leading when it opened. But infection outbreaks and concerns over water and ventilation systems emerged and a number of patients died, including Milly Main, aged 10.
Freedom of Information requests show the Scottish Government spent £756,958 on legal fees from 2020 to June this year and around £1.2 million on staff for the inquiry.
NHS National Services Scotland – which runs the Central Legal Office – spent £1.3 million on lawyers and a further £110,000 on paying staff to respond to inquiry questions.
The inquiry itself has spent £10.4 million on staff, including chair Lord Brodie, who has been paid £614,400 as of July. Lawyers and specialists have cost £2.5 million and lawyers for witnesses have cost £1.5million. A further £4.7 million on running costs adds up to £19.25milliion.
Added to costs incurred by the government and NHS NSS, the total so far is around £22.5million, with the inquiry due to run for two more years.
Meanwhile documents published last week show NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s own staff raised concerns the public were being incorrectly told the QEUH campus was safe.
Dr Teresa Inkster – former lead infection control doctor at QEUH – and senior microbiologist Dr Christine Peters (left) claimed reassurances on safety weren’t accurate in 2019 and 2020.
The health board had revealed the death of two patients who were infected with cryptococcus – bacteria linked to bird droppings. Several wards had ventilation systems renovated and water filters put on taps. Other wards were shut to bring them up to safety standards.
The documents detail more than 30 concerns raised by the infection experts about information provided to patients, families and the media.
They include a statement that a plant room, now known to have been heavily contaminated with bird poo, was “ruled out” as the source of two patients’ infections from cryptococcus.
Top of page picture: Lord Brodie, who is presiding over the public inquiry.