First Minister John Swinney has stated that a "huge amount of documentation" has been submitted to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, as he pushes back against demands from opposition parties to release key communications regarding the opening of Glasgow's flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Pressure to Publish Documents
The Scottish Government is facing increasing pressure to disclose documentation related to the hospital's launch, following revelations from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board this week. The board indicated that it faced significant pressure to open the facility on time and on budget, while also acknowledging that environmental conditions at the hospital likely contributed to infections that resulted in patient fatalities.
Opposition Calls for Transparency
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who has campaigned extensively on this issue for years, has been particularly vocal in urging the Government to publish all relevant communications and documents surrounding the hospital's opening. Speaking to the Press Association on Thursday, Mr Swinney defended the Government's current approach.
"There's a huge amount of documentation which has been made available to the public inquiry," the First Minister stated. "I think the approach that we have taken has been an open approach, designed to provide the inquiry with all the information that it required for its terms of reference to be addressed."
Families' Devastating Statement
Mr Swinney's comments came on the same day that families affected by infections at the hospital released a powerful statement through Thompsons Solicitors Scotland. The families, whose loved ones were impacted by the hospital's ventilation and water issues, declared that these problems "killed and poisoned our loved ones."
Their statement contained several serious allegations against NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde:
- They were "lied to" by the health board
- They were "disbelieved" by GGCH
- They were "demeaned and smeared" by GGCH
- Their families were "devastated" and their lives "traumatised" by GGCH
The families concluded with a powerful demand: "The leadership of GGCH past and present must now face a reckoning." They also called upon political leaders to take decisive action regarding the situation.
Government Response to Families
In response to the families' statement, Mr Swinney expressed his sympathies for their losses and experiences. "What I would say to the families who have been affected by the issues being looked at at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital inquiry is, first of all, to express my sympathies to them for the losses that they've suffered and the experience that they have had," he stated.
The First Minister emphasised that the Government established the inquiry specifically to uncover the truth about what happened. "The Government set up the inquiry to get to the truth and it's absolutely vital that is the case, so the families can understand and have confidence in what has happened and that we can learn lessons from all of that," he explained.
Awaiting Inquiry Conclusions
Mr Swinney confirmed that the Government would carefully examine the findings of the public inquiry once they are delivered. "I assure the families that the Government will look with care and with attention at the conclusions of the public inquiry that we established to make sure that we address all the issues that are involved," he pledged.
The First Minister added that the Government "await with interest the conclusions of Lord Brodie in this inquiry so that we can identify the issues that need to be addressed and the lessons that need to be learned." The inquiry, which heard closing statements on Thursday, represents a crucial step toward understanding the full circumstances surrounding the hospital's opening and the subsequent infection issues that affected patients and their families.
