A criminal investigation into the deaths of children at Scotland's flagship super hospital could result in people being sent to prison, it has been warned. The shocking admission by NHS bosses that contaminated water at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow caused lethal infections in young cancer patients has been labelled the biggest scandal in the history of the Scottish parliament.
A Devastating Admission and a Years-Long Cover-Up
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar stated it would be "very fair" if individuals implicated in the scandal were to face jail time, "if a court of law decides". The warning comes amid mounting pressure for the Health Secretary to address the Scottish Parliament and for the involvement of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to be examined.
The children died shortly after the £842 million hospital opened in 2015, but for years, health board officials denied any link between the building and the tragedies. Among the victims was ten-year-old Milly Main, who contracted a rare bacterial infection in 2017 while receiving treatment for leukaemia.
In a dramatic U-turn, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has now accepted a definitive link between the dirty water supply and the deadly infections. Prosecutors instructed Police Scotland to launch a criminal probe in 2021, focusing on four deaths: Milly's, two other children, and that of 73-year-old Gail Armstrong. The health board itself was formally named as a suspect in 2023.
Pressure Mounts for Political Accountability
Now, former ministers could be drawn into the expanding investigation as calls grow for it to include politicians who were in power at the time. Mr Sarwar emphasised that all key figures must be scrutinised.
"All those that were on the scene at the time, the First Minister at the times, health secretaries, finance secretaries, they all have to be looked at as well as the leadership of that health board at the time," he said. "A devastating cover-up took place, which resulted in infection in children and deaths of children, and that in my view is criminal and needs an investigation."
When questioned on whether he believed the SNP Government exerted political pressure to open the hospital before an election, thereby risking lives, Sarwar responded bluntly: "I think, bluntly, yes." A previously leaked report indicated that a high risk of waterborne infection was identified just prior to the hospital's opening, but no action was taken.
The Path to Justice and Corporate Homicide Laws
The Scottish Conservatives have demanded that current Health Secretary Neil Gray make an urgent statement to Holyrood. While only organisations like public bodies can be prosecuted for corporate homicide, individual bosses can face prosecution and imprisonment under health and safety legislation.
Mr Sarwar, reflecting on the potential for custodial sentences, added: "Children have died here. If a court of law decides that means someone goes to jail, I think that would be very fair."
A Scottish Government spokesman stated: "We are committed to assisting the inquiry and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment any further. Any potential charges are a matter for the Crown Office." NHSGGC said it remains "fully committed to supporting the inquiry in its investigations." The SNP and a spokesman for Nicola Sturgeon declined to comment.
