John Swinney has denied that Nicola Sturgeon or any other Scottish government minister pressured NHS bosses to open the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow before it was safe. The £1 billion hospital admitted its first patients in April 2015, weeks before a UK general election, despite concerns at the time that it was not ready.
In a submission to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry this week, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GCC) admitted the hospital opened too early, stating: "Pressure was applied to open the hospital on time and on budget, and it is now clear that the hospital opened too early."
Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Scottish Conservatives leader Russell Findlay asked whether Nicola Sturgeon or anyone else in the SNP government applied political pressure to open the hospital before it was ready. Mr Swinney replied: "The direct answer to that question is no." He repeated this denial when pressed three more times by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who has campaigned on the issue alongside affected families.
Responding to opposition calls to release documents relating to the hospital's opening, the First Minister expressed confidence in inquiry chairman Lord Brodie, adding that the government has shared all relevant evidence. He said he was willing to release further material, subject to redactions such as personal information and legal professional privilege.
Mr Sarwar said the hospital opened with contaminated water which infected people and led to the death of at least two children. He stated that an internal report warned of a high risk of infections and a high risk to life for immunocompromised patients weeks before the children's hospital opened, and that this report was ignored. He accused the then-first minister, deputy first minister and health secretary of negligence.
In a statement released through Thompsons Solicitors Scotland ahead of closing statements at the inquiry, families of those affected said ventilation and water issues at the hospital "killed and poisoned our loved ones". They added: "We were all lied to by GGCH... We have all had or families devastated and our lives traumatised by GGCH." They called for the leadership of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, past and present, to "face a reckoning".
