Mould found in ward at scandal-hit hospital, says health secretary

Mould growth has been found in a cancer ward at a scandal-hit Glasgow hospital, the health secretary has confirmed.

Some rooms on the adult bone marrow transplant unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) were sealed off last month due to "potential water ingress".

Neil Gray told MSPs at that mould growth had been found in one of the closed rooms.

The hospital, one of the largest in the UK, is subject to a national inquiry which was ordered in 2019 after a number of deaths and high levels of infection.

In January, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde admitted to the inquiry that infections of some child cancer patients were probably linked to a hospital water system.

Gray was responding to Scottish Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher's questions about water ingress issues at the hospital.

He said: "In the interests of full transparency, I am making Parliament aware that this morning it was confirmed that a swab taken from room 85, which was closed on 19 February, has shown mould growth.

"As colleagues would expect, I have made it clear to Greater Glasgow and Clyde that I expect their continued focus to see these issues resolved as soon as possible."

First Minister John Swinney confirmed last week that a red alert had been issued for one of the wards at the hospital.

He said the Scottish government was first told of an amber alert on the ward on 26 February.

It was escalated to a red warning on 5 March before returning to amber.

Gray and the first minister have both said the rise in alerts are primarily due to media interest in the hospital rather than a direct threat.

Gallacher said it was correct to say there is media interest, but the public will be concerned at the developments.

"The cabinet secretary has just outlined bone marrow transplant patients are among the most vulnerable in the NHS, and common airborne mould can cause life-threatening infections," she added.

"Can I ask the cabinet secretary what further action the government is taking to ensure that the wards, not the ones that you've mentioned, but other wards, have also been inspected for mould and water ingress?

"When will the bone marrow ward be safe for use, and, ultimately, who will be held accountable for this latest incident at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital?"

Gray responded that he had visited the QEUH last Wednesday and safety mitigations were being taken by staff while the ward continues to be used.

He said: "There are rooms that are closed in order to manage safety and to take a risk-averse approach and to ensure, as Meghan Gallacher rightly says, that the risks are being managed given the immunosuppressed patients with clinically-driven medications."

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been approached for comment.

The health board recently announced a new oversight group to boost public confidence in the safety of the QEUH.