Families of patients who suffered or died from infections at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital have expressed fury after the health board finally admitted that contaminated water caused the outbreak. The admissions came during the final stages of a public inquiry, with families accusing NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde of 'deceit and cowardice'.
Molly Cuddihy, who was 19, died last August after contracting infections during chemotherapy. Her father John said the clinical care was 'world-class', but the environment was unsafe. The health board had long denied the link between its water system and infections in 84 child cancer patients, two of whom died.
The inquiry heard that the hospital opened in April 2015 under pressure to be on time and on budget, despite tests in December 2014 showing microbes in the water supply. Whistleblowers who raised concerns were dismissed as 'attention-seeking' by senior management.
In a closing statement, families said they were 'lied to, disbelieved, demeaned and smeared'. They called for past and present leaders to 'face a reckoning', warning that the hospital remains unsafe. The health board has insisted no individual should be held responsible for institutional failings.
