Hansard

I recognise that. I actually want to start by focusing on the staff and recognising the people who are often only described as the whistleblowers. They are, in fact, three inspiring and courageous women, who risked their careers and reputations to speak up and were met with bullying and attempts to silence them. Let me put on record, for the first time in the Parliament, my gratitude to Dr Penelope Redding, Dr Teresa Inkster and Dr Christine Peters. Let me say clearly and directly to them: thank you. You are owed an apology.

They are actually owed more than that. Not only do colleagues and families owe those doctors a debt of gratitude, I believe that this nation does too. For nearly 10 years, those women have been bullied and dismissed by the very organisation that they were proud to serve. Had they been listened to, we would not be in the situation in which we are today. Even now, no chief executive or chair has met them—the only minister who met them was Jeane Freeman.

Crucially, the information that those doctors need to be assured that real change is taking place is still not being shared with them. With regard to their immediate concerns about the safety of that hospital, I clearly say that if they are not satisfied, I am not satisfied, and nobody in the Parliament and across the country should be satisfied either. Everything that they have warned about in the past 10 years has proven to be true, and everything that ministers and officials have said to refute it has proven to be untrue. Yet, today, we are again being asked to believe the same people who have lied to us for years and ignored those who have fought for the truth.

Those doctors are raising two urgent issues. First, we still do not have confirmation that the hospital has been fully validated—that means a deep and comprehensive check of every ward and unit to ensure that they meet the standards that patients and families have every right to expect. I therefore ask the health secretary a direct question. Has every ward and unit of the hospital been fully validated—yes or no?

If those doctors still do not know whether that hospital validation has taken place, it raises serious questions. Has any validation had independent verification? Why has that report, if it exists, not been shared with those doctors? Again, I ask whether the validation has been completed—yes or no? If it has, will the full validation of every ward and unit across the Queen Elizabeth university hospital be published? The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care surely knows the answer.

Wow. The health secretary gives no response. That is utterly shameful and an abdication of the responsibility of the Government and the health secretary.

There has been a separate report specifically on the safety of the ventilation system—the so-called AECOM report—as poor ventilation is a risk not only to children but also to adults. Has the Government seen that report? Will it publish it, and will it allow that, too, to have independent verification?

The health secretary is still not answering. It is utterly shameful that the Government is refusing to say to people across the country whether the hospital, and every ward and every unit in it, have been validated and are therefore safe. We are getting no response.

Last week, John Swinney said that the Government first became aware of issues at the hospital in March 2018. That is simply not true. Under infection control procedures, when a healthcare infection incident assessment tool—HIIAT—red warning is issued, the health minister must be informed. A red warning was issued in June 2017. Was the then health secretary informed in June 2017—yes or no?

The cabinet secretary is not answering.

Has Neil Gray, as health secretary, been notified of any HIIAT red warnings since he has been health secretary? If he has, when and how many times has he been notified?

The health secretary is not answering. That is yet another abdication of responsibility from a health secretary who is paid by the public to keep them safe and run our national health service.

I go back to the opening of the hospital. A process exists. Jeane Freeman saw a report on the Edinburgh sick kids hospital and refused to allow it to open because she did not believe that it was safe. Why did Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney and Shona Robison not do the same for the hospital in Glasgow?

We now know that an internal report that was issued just weeks before the children’s hospital in Glasgow opened warned of a high risk of infection and therefore a high risk to life for immunocompromised patients, but that report was ignored and the hospital opened regardless. Who made the decision to ignore it? On what basis was the risk to life deemed acceptable? Who applied political pressure to get the hospital opened?

Again, I invite the health secretary to give a response. Yet again, he demonstrates that he is useless in office by sitting there looking blankly.

Last week, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said that pressure was applied for the hospital to open before it was ready. Five days later, late on Saturday night, it retracted that statement, knowing that the First Minister was to appear on television the next morning. That leaves me intrigued. Who applied the pressure for that statement to be retracted? Was it the same people who applied the pressure for the hospital to open too early?

We must know whether those who applied pressure and the ministers to whom the board was accountable had any indication of patient safety concerns.