First Minister John Swinney could be formally investigated for corporate homicide following a bombshell admission by NHS bosses over the deaths of children at a flagship Scottish hospital.
Years of Denial and a Devastating U-Turn
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has performed a stark U-turn, finally accepting a "causal connection" between the contaminated water system at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus and serious, sometimes fatal, infections in vulnerable young patients. This admission comes after years of the health board denying any link between the hospital building and the infections.
The scandal, which erupted shortly after the hospital opened in 2015, saw at least 84 children fall ill and two die from infections. One of the victims was ten-year-old Milly Main, who tragically died in 2017 after contracting a bacterial infection while being treated for leukaemia.
In a closing submission to the ongoing public inquiry led by Lord Brodie, the health board stated it now believed "on the balance of probabilities" that a material proportion of bloodstream infections in child cancer patients between 2016 and 2018 were connected to the state of the hospital water system.
Political Fallout and Calls for Accountability
The dramatic admission has ignited fierce political demands for senior SNP figures to be drawn into the ongoing criminal investigation. Police were instructed by prosecutors to launch a corporate homicide probe in 2021, examining four deaths, including Milly Main's. The health board was named as a suspect in 2023.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar declared this a "turning point" and insisted that politicians behind what he called a "cover-up" must now be added to the probe. He accused SNP ministers, led by John Swinney, of closing ranks and never stopping "lying to hide the truth of their failure."
Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane echoed the sentiment, arguing the culture of secrecy was a product of long-term SNP governance. He stated the admission "will have prosecutors feeling confident" about securing a conviction and that SNP ministers must be "added to the pot."
A Long Fight for Justice and a Damning Admission
For the grieving families, the board's statement is a bitter vindication after a gruelling six-year battle. Milly's mother, Kimberley Darroch, said she had spent years "fighting for answers that should have been given at the very beginning."
The inquiry also heard that NHSGGC admitted whistleblowers who tried to raise early concerns were mistreated. Doctors Teresa Inkster, Christine Peters, and Penelope Redding were "not treated as they ought to have been" and suffered significant impacts on their wellbeing.
Patrick McGuire, a solicitor representing many of the affected families, accused NHSGGC of "years of the most callous evasion and dishonesty." He said it was now of the highest priority that those behind the "disgraceful conduct" are held accountable.
The Scottish Government, an independent core participant in the inquiry, declined to comment further, stating it was inappropriate while the statutory public inquiry continues. The Crown Office confirmed its investigation remains ongoing.
