'Damning' evidence of political pressure to open scandal-hit hospital - Sarwar

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says he has "damning" evidence showing that political pressure was applied to rush the opening of the country's largest hospital despite safety fears.

Both the Scottish government and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) have denied that the health board was pushed to open the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) before it was ready.

But speaking at First Minister's Questions, Sarwar produced government meeting notes stating that "political pressure" was felt by the health board.

John Swinney said a public inquiry commissioned by his government would explore such issues in full.

The Scottish Hospital Inquiry is looking into the design and construction of the QEUH complex in the wake of deaths linked to infections.

NHSGGC admitted recently that problems with the hospital water system probably did cause infections in child cancer patients - having initially denied this.

Earlier this month, the health board said that it was under pressure to open the QEUH before it was ready in 2015.

That sparked accusations from opposition MSPs that political pressure had been applied to open the flagship hospital ahead of the 2015 general election.

That has been denied by Swinney, as well as former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The health board clarified on Saturday evening that the pressure was internal.

However, Sarwar said minutes of meetings between Scottish government and health board officials in late 2019 and early 2020 showed that external pressure had been applied.

The notes, seen by BBC Scotland News, state that "political pressure" was being felt by the health board and that "no consideration was given to delaying the opening of the hospital despite the issues being faced with completion and operation".

Sarwar said the "damning" documents showed in "black and white" that there had been political pressure.

He told MSPs: "That decision to open the hospital early has resulted in a decade of lies, deceit and cover-up, bullying and gaslighting of staff, families being lied to and denied the truth and infections that led to the deaths of children and possibly adults too – all because politics was put before patient safety."

Swinney said that all of the issues would be explored in full by the inquiry.

Speaking after FMQs, Swinney denied that Sarwar had produced proof of political pressure and said he had "every confidence" in the inquiry.

He claimed that lead counsel to the hospital inquiry, Fred Mackintosh KC, had told the inquiry that there was "no evidence of external pressure" on the health board.

Mackintosh told the inquiry last week that health board bosses involved in the opening of the hospital had not provided evidence of "pressure either from them or from anyone else" for the campus to open early.

He noted that the project involved merging several other hospitals on one site.

Mackintosh said: "So there's pressure in the sense that it would be a good idea to meet the target because otherwise it will be difficult for everybody, there will be failures, but we didn't detect in the evidence pressure to open it earlier than was planned."

One of the patients who died after contracting an infection at the hospital complex was 10-year-old Milly Main.

Milly's mother, Kimberly Darroch, said the news "confirms" what she and other bereaved families had feared.

She said: "We thought that political pressure was applied to open the hospital before it was ready, and now we know the truth – that's exactly what happened.

"The denials about this in recent days have added to our pain and anguish – we were lied to, and this proves it.

"We are edging closer to the truth, but we still don't have the full story. Milly would not want me to give up until the truth was uncovered and I will not."

The inquiry will publish a full report and recommendations at a later date, though there is no set deadline.

This is a potentially significant new development, given that both John Swinney, Nicola Sturgeon and the health board have denied any political pressure was put on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to open the hospital before it was ready.

And Swinney did look visibly uncomfortable at First Minister's Questions when Anas Sarwar produced the Scottish government meeting notes.

But it's also worth noting that the notes only refer to political pressure "being felt"; there is nothing there to say political pressure was actually being put on the health board – or by who.

It's certainly an uncomfortable development for the government, but there's probably not enough detail there to actually point the finger at anyone.