Home / Health / Health Board Admits Fault in Child Cancer Patient Deaths
Health Board Admits Fault in Child Cancer Patient Deaths
18 Jan
Summary
- Health board likely caused patient infections via hospital water system.
- Infections occurred in child cancer patients at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
- The admission follows years of denials and a public inquiry into hospital safety.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has now conceded that a "causal connection" likely exists between infections suffered by child cancer patients and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus water system. This marks a significant shift from previous denials during the ongoing Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, which was established to investigate serious concerns about patient infections and deaths.
The health board stated that it is "more likely than not" that a substantial proportion of blood stream infections in pediatric oncology patients between 2016 and 2018 were linked to the hospital's water system. This admission was made in closing submissions to the Inquiry, after considering all expert evidence presented. A decrease in infection rates was noted after remedial measures on the water system commenced.
The inquiry was prompted by unusual infections and the deaths of several patients, including 10-year-old Milly Main in 2017. Families, like Milly's mother Kimberly Darroch, have expressed that this admission, while significant, comes after years of struggle for truth and accountability. Legal representatives for affected families have called for those responsible to be held accountable.
