John Swinney told to release QEUH files in full as SNP minister accused of 'criminal negligence'
SNP ministers have been urged to release all the files relating to an infection deaths scandal at a flagship hospital.
The Scottish Government is under pressure to publish its files surrounding a hospital scandal after a senior SNP minister was accused of “criminal negligence” over deaths caused by infections linked to new flagship facilities.
Scottish Labour will officially call on the SNP ministers to authorise the immediate and full disclosure of all communications and documents connected to the scandal hanging over the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEU) in Glasgow.
The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, which heard closing submissions last week, examined the design and construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC), which are on the same campus in Glasgow.
It was launched in the wake of deaths linked to infections, including 10-year-old Milly Main in 2017.
But last week, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, in its final submissions to the inquiry, admitted that infections picked up by some cancer patients were probably linked to issues with the hospital water system.
Health bosses also suggested the flagship hospital, which opened just weeks before the 2015 general election, did so too early amid pressure. On Sunday night, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde attempted to claim that the pressure did not come from SNP ministers.
Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, who first raised the controversy in 2017 has now called for an end to the “culture of secrecy and cover-up”, insisting that “those responsible must be held to account”.
The party has previously called on the SNP government to release in full key records relating to the QEUH scandal, including ministerial communications, Cabinet minutes, correspondence and any other records of discussions.
Scottish Labour has also demanded answers from the SNP on if any emails, texts, letters, documents and other records from this time - including relevant WhatsApps and other messages - have been deleted.
This afternoon, Mr Sarwar will call on MSPs to vote in favour of a motion calling for a full release of the hospital files.
He said: “What happened at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is the single biggest scandal in the history of devolution.
“Families seeking answers have been blocked at every turn by powerful people trying to protect themselves — and whistleblowers have been intimidated and bullied for doing the right thing.
“The culture of secrecy and cover-up must end, and those responsible must be held to account.”
Mr Sarwar added: “People have died and their families deserve the truth — and they deserve it urgently.
“John Swinney has failed to come clean about what the SNP government knew, when it knew it, and what role it played in the premature opening of this hospital.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant. John Swinney and his Ministers must publish and preserve all their communications from that time, so we can establish once and for all whether it was negligence or criminal incompetence that got us here.”
The SNP government has come under scrutiny over its actions prior to the opening of the QEUH, including whether it pressured the health board to open the hospital before it was safe and whether it ignored warnings of a high risk of infection and potential loss of life for vulnerable patients.
Scottish Labour has also argued that scrutiny must not be limited to the water supply alone, and that there must also be full transparency and oversight of the ventilation system and its potential link to infection risk.
The move comes after Scottish Labour accused the Government, and Ms Robison, who was health secretary when the hospital opened, of “criminal negligence” after U-turning on holding an independent audit into the safety of the facility before patients began being admitted.
Scottish Labour deputy leader, Jackie Baillie, asked Ms Robison back in February 2015, prior to the QEUH opening, whether an independent audit had been completely and was told by the then health secretary that “if it has not taken place, it will”.
Speaking in Holyrood yesterday, Dame Jackie said: “A week later, Shona Robison did a complete U-turn.
“The result - no independent audit of the hospital took place before it opened its doors to staff and patients.
“The evidence is there in black and white: there is no getting away from the fact that people died as a result of this Government’s incompetence. Senior Government ministers chose not to have the new hospital inspected, which had deadly consequences.”
Addressing current Health Secretary Neil Gray, Dame Jackie added: “Given what we know now, does the cabinet secretary agree that she did not tell the truth and that the Government now stands accused of criminal negligence?”
Scottish Tory MSP Brian Whittle argued that “the continued obfuscation of the facts by this Government is leaving the confidence of patients, NHS staff and the public in the management of the NHS at an all-time low”.
He added that “to rebuild trust, it is crucial that the Scottish Government and NHS boards are transparent and honest with the public”.
Mr Gray told MSPs that “the Scottish Government provided all relevant evidence to the inquiry”, adding: “It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”
He said: “Jackie Baillie knows full well that, while those live inquiries are on-going, it would be completely inappropriate for Scottish ministers to intervene or comment.
“She also knows that it is a matter of public record from evidence led at the inquiry that information was withheld from the Government by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
“Given the evidence that is before the inquiry, it is important that it is allowed to pursue its deliberations free from political interference. That is the tenor of a public inquiry, as it should be, and we will obviously take the inquiry’s recommendations seriously.”
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