Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2026 [Draft]
I begin by paying tribute to the late Jeane Freeman. My thoughts and those of all members of the Scottish Labour Party are with Jeane’s partner Susan and Jeane’s friends, family and former colleagues.
Jeane and I had many political disagreements, but I have to pay tribute to Jeane Freeman, because the progress that families, doctors and I have been able to make on the Queen Elizabeth university hospital was possible because Jeane Freeman was willing to listen, to reflect and to act. I put on record my thanks to Jeane for her commitment to Scotland and her commitment to public service. [Applause.]
I also firmly believe that, if Jeane Freeman was still the health secretary, we would not be having this debate today. Let me start by saying unequivocally that I will always put patient safety before politics, and I wish that that was the case with this Scottish National Party Government. If it was the case, we would not have had the devastating consequences that we have seen at the Queen Elizabeth university hospital. We need transparency and answers now, so that we can rebuild public confidence and ensure patient safety.
It is now clear, after more than two weeks of questioning of the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the First Minister, that the Queen Elizabeth university hospital—every unit and every ward—has not been validated. That is serious. That is not an acceptable place for the country or for the Government to be, and it does nothing to reassure people after everything that has played out over the past 10 years of the Queen Elizabeth university hospital scandal.
Many questions about what happened and why remain unanswered, while families still have to fight for justice and truth and whistleblowers are still to be recognised for their heroic role. I recognise again the bravery and determination of Dr Penelope Redding, Dr Teresa Inkster and Dr Christine Peters. For nearly 10 years, those women have been bullied and dismissed by the very organisation that they serve. If they had been listened to, we would not be facing this situation now. I restate to the Parliament again: if those doctors are not satisfied, I am not satisfied, and not a single MSP in the Parliament should be satisfied.
Many of the wider issues will come out in the public inquiry, but this debate is about the here and now. Last week, Neil Gray announced the creation of another oversight board, this time to look at infection control issues. Although that is welcome in principle, it cannot be a repeat of previous oversight boards, which were used as political cover to protect the interests of those in power. It must do the urgent hard work, correct mistakes and ensure that patient safety is the only priority.
The Government now needs to be very clear on these questions. What is the timetable for the verification and validation of every ward and every unit of the hospital? When is the Government going to publish any current reports and any upcoming reports so that the public can have confidence? Will it give a cast-iron guarantee to include, and to be led by, the doctors who have been proven to be right in everything that they have said for the past 10 years? Will it guarantee that those who have been proven to be wrong in the past 10 years will not be the ones who are relied on to give the right answers this time?