SNP Government presides over a cynical culture that is defined by arrogance, secrecy and cover-up, Russell Findlay (left) told John Swinney (right).
by Bill Heaney
The long-running scandal of deaths and acquired illnesses at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, which serves West Dunbartonshire and Argyll, finally made it the floor of the Scottish Parliament today.
But there is still a long way to go before the book on this terrible scandal can finally be closed.
First up in a tense Holyrood chamber was Russell Findlay, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, who laid it on the line: “Child cancer patients Milly Main and Molly Cuddihy, adult patients Gail Armstrong and Tony Dynes, and two other children whose names and ages are unknown were all patients at the Queen Elizabeth university hospital, where they contracted infections and died.
“Dozens more child patients also contracted serious infections. For years, families suspected that the infections were caused by the hospital’s water supply, but they were lied to and smeared. National health service staff who raised concerns were bullied and silenced.”
The press too were treated with distain and demeaned in a manner which has become commonplace in civic Scotland – “Please move on, there’s nothing to see here.”
Russell Findlay said: “The people of Scotland were told that there was no problem, but now, after years of lies and deception, NHS bosses admit that it is likely that some infections were caused by the water supply.”
The highly paid spin doctors went into overdrive while everyone else was made to feel small and intrusive; that they were intruding into private grief.
The Tory leader challenged the First Minister: “John Swinney has so far refused to release all the information that his Government holds about the scandal. Will he now do so?”
“These issues emerged in the course of the past few years and, as a consequence of that, the Scottish Government established a public inquiry, led by Lord Brodie, to establish the truth about what has happened.
“I have every confidence that Lord Brodie, in taking the evidence that he has taken, will provide the open scrutiny and the truth that is required by the families and by everybody else.
“The Government has shared all relevant evidence that addresses the terms of reference of the inquiry. Nonetheless, if there is anything further related to the business of Government—whether that is Cabinet minutes or ministerial correspondence—that has not been submitted to the inquiry, I am happy to release it, subject to any appropriate redactions (DELETIONS), such as personal information and the respecting of legal professional privilege.”
But Russell Findlay, formerly a foot-in-the-door investigative tabloid journalist, told MSPs: “John Swinney’s commitment is welcome, but it should not have taken this long and there can be no backsliding.
“The families will be watching. I pay tribute to those families—I cannot begin to imagine the pain that they have suffered. I am in awe of their determination and their dignity.
“It is important for Mr Swinney to hear what they are saying. They have said: ‘We were all lied to … We were all disbelieved … We were all demeaned and smeared … We have had our families devastated and our lives traumatised … We cannot overstate the level of deceit and conniving cowardice of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
“Those families quite rightly expect accountability. They demand a reckoning for the board’s leadership. So will John Swinney sack those who are responsible?”
The First Minister hit back: “First, I acknowledge the pain and suffering that the relatives of those affected by these circumstances have suffered. The pain of the loss of their loved ones has been compounded by their having had to make tenacious efforts to ensure that the truth could be established. That is precisely why the Scottish Government took the decision in 2019 to establish a public inquiry, led by Lord Brodie, which, as I said in my first answer, will be determined to get to the truth.
“On a variety of issues, we have to await the outcome of the inquiry by Lord Brodie. However, I say to Russell Findlay that, in all circumstances, the Government will take seriously all Lord Brodie’s recommendations in taking forward the issues that must be addressed as a consequence of the commissioning of a public inquiry into the issue.”
Russell Findlay told the packed chamber: “We would not need to spend hundreds of £millions of pounds on public inquiries if public bodies simply told the truth. It is no wonder that those families are so angry. The health board has not been held to account, but neither has anyone in the Scottish Government.
“Nicola Sturgeon was First Minister when the hospital began treating patients on 27 April 2015, which was just 10 days before a general election. During the Scottish National Party election campaign, she kept bragging about the new hospital.
“For years, Nicola Sturgeon dismissed growing concerns about infections being linked to the water supply, but now the NHS has dropped a bombshell. It has told the public inquiry: ‘Pressure was applied to open the hospital on time and on budget, and it is now clear that the hospital opened too early. It was not ready.’
“Let me ask John Swinney a straight question. Did Nicola Sturgeon, or anyone else in the SNP Government, apply political pressure to open the hospital before it was ready?
Russell Findlay pressed on: “If the Scottish Government did not apply pressure, who did, and why did they do so?
This is one of many serious scandals in recent years involving Scotland’s public bodies—from Police Scotland to the Crown Office, the NHS and more.
“The SNP Government presides over a cynical culture that is defined by arrogance, secrecy and cover-up. It is a culture of zero accountability that misuses taxpayers’ money to crush victims and silence concerns, and which treats grieving families with utter contempt.
“The families of the hospital infection scandal are not going away. This is not over. They say that the hospital is still unsafe for patients and that the management ‘cannot be trusted to make it safe’”
“They continue: ‘The people of Scotland demand it be made safe’.
“How does John Swinney intend to protect patients and rebuild public confidence in Scotland’s largest hospital?”
But the First Minister said: “I reject the characterisation of the Government that Russell Findlay puts to me. I cite as an example the fact that the Government commissioned a public inquiry to look at this very issue.
“I also draw on the fact that the Government has established public inquiries to look at other major issues where patients have expressed their concerns—for example, the inquiry in NHS Tayside about the conduct of Mr Sam Eljamel in his surgery practice or the issues relating to the death of Sheku Bayoh.
“I accept Mr Findlay’s fundamental point that it would be better if we did not have to have those public inquiries, but when things happen, we have to be prepared to take the steps to investigate and get to the truth.
“Mr Findlay raises with me issues of a current nature about the circumstances in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in relation to the safety of the water system. Lord Brodie, the chair of the hospital’s inquiry, commissioned reports and audits on water and ventilation from Andrew Poplett, the inquiry’s expert. Mr Poplett’s view is that the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s current procedures for managing the water system are suitable and safe.
“Providing evidence to the inquiry in September 2025, Mr Poplett observed that, after previously raising concerns, which he did, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s water system is ‘currently extremely well managed’ and that ‘significant improvement’ had been made.
“That is independent advice that has been provided to Lord Brodie’s inquiry, which I put on the record today to reassure members of the public that safety considerations in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital are uppermost in the thinking and minds of Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board. Obviously, the Government wants to have that assurance, and the inquiry report provides exactly that.
“The last thing that I would say is that it is vital and absolutely fundamental that the patients and families who are using our hospitals are assured of our determination to ensure that we have a safe clinical environment.
“Scotland has advanced a lot of work on support for patient safety that has attracted international commendation. Patient safety will be one of the key priorities for the Government so that we can ensure that the public can rely on that in our hospitals around the country.”
More follows soon on The Dumbarton Democrat …
Top of page picture: Lord Brodie