Ex-chief nurse steps down from police role after 'Disneyland' row

A former chief nursing officer criticised over reported comments about the Glasgow hospitals infection scandal has quit her role as chairwoman of the Scottish Police Authority.

Fiona McQueen is said to have questioned why the local health board did not offer bereaved families £50,000, reportedly noting it would cover a holiday to Disneyland, instead of denying that hospital safety defects had caused harm.

McQueen was criticised by relatives of people who died at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus, with her alleged comments described as "shameful" at Holyrood.

She previously said she did "not recall" making the comment and insisted her priority had been patient safety.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) said she was stepping down with immediate effect for personal and family reasons.

A public inquiry is looking into the design, construction, commissioning and maintenance of the QEUH following concerns about infections and patient deaths.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde admitted this year that problems with the hospital's water system probably did cause infections in some child cancer patients, having initially denied this.

Separately, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Services is investigating seven deaths for potential links to the hospital environment after it opened in 2015.

McQueen, who has been awarded a CBE for services to the NHS, retired as chief nursing officer in 2021 before taking up her role with the SPA, a public body that oversees policing.

She is also vice-chairwoman of Scotland's drugs deaths taskforce and was appointed SPA chairwoman by the government in February last year.

McQueen is alleged to have made the Disneyland comment in December 2019 at a meeting attended by then health secretary Jeane Freeman.

Separately, in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, the parents of Sophia Smith alleged McQueen offered them £20,000 and a holiday during a 2019 phone call, after their baby daughter died at the QEUH campus in 2017.

A spokesperson for McQueen previously rejected any suggestion that she offered the Smith family money or a holiday.

A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) determination into Sophia's death highlighted an email sent in February 2019.

The document says that the family had expressed "shock and surprise that, during a telephone conversation, Ms McQueen raised the question of litigation and compensation for Sophia's death".

McQueen is said to have offered an "unreserved apology for her comments on litigation but the hurt had been caused".

The FAI determined that a bacterial infection was a factor in Sophia's death but that it was not related to the hospital building.

Announcing her resignation, McQueen said: "It has been a privilege to serve on the Scottish Police Authority and to work alongside dedicated board colleagues and the leadership teams across policing in Scotland."

Justice Secretary Angela Constance thanked McQueen for her "dedication, leadership and experience" over five years at the SPA.

The minister added: "Her commitment to good governance, openness, transparency, and ensuring that people are at the heart of decision making has been central to the SPA's progress."

SPA vice-chairman Alasdair Hay will fill the role until a permanent replacement is appointed.