Home / Crime and Justice / NHS Official Quits After Alleged Bribe Offer to Grieving Parents
NHS Official Quits After Alleged Bribe Offer to Grieving Parents
15 Mar
Summary
- An NHS official resigned after parents claimed she offered them £20,000.
- The alleged bribe was reportedly offered after their baby died from infection.
- The parents feel vindicated by the official's resignation from her quango job.
A senior NHS official has stepped down from her role at the Scottish Police Authority following allegations of offering a bribe to grieving parents. Theresa and Matthew Smith claim that Fiona McQueen, formerly Scotland's Chief Nursing Officer, offered them £20,000 and a holiday to take their other children for an ice cream. This alleged offer came after their daughter Sophia died in 2017 from an infection contracted at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow.
The parents stated that Ms McQueen asked if they were 'litigation-minded' and suggested a baby's life was worth less than an adult's. Ms McQueen's representative has denied any offer of money or a holiday, stating she misinterpreted the conversation. Mrs. Smith expressed that the resignation felt like an admission of guilt, vindicating their decision to speak out about their experience.
The QEUH, which opened in 2015, is currently undergoing a public inquiry into high infection rates and patient deaths. In January, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde admitted that contaminated water likely caused infections in young cancer patients. Sophia was born with breathing problems and transferred to the QEUH campus, where she developed a bloodstream infection that led to sepsis and her death in April 2017.
