Anas Sarwar calls for ‘openness’ after reports of mould and leaks at hospital

Anas Sarwar has demanded “openness” from both NHS bosses and the Scottish Government in the wake of reports that a cancer ward at a flagship hospital has been partially closed.

The Scottish Labour leader said he was “deeply concerned” that an investigation by Sky News reportedly found mould and dirty water ingress in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH)l in Glasgow.

He pledged he would act if he becomes first minister after May’s Holyrood election, with Mr Sarwar declaring: “If I have to shut individual wards because they are not safe, I will do that.

“If I have to find the money to repair wards because they need to be improved and upgraded, I will make that happen.

“I will always put patient safety first.”

While a public inquiry has been probing issues with the hospital, First Minister John Swinney declared only last month that it was safe.

Mr Swinney said he understood the concerns of those who have lost loved ones after contracting infections in the hospital – but stressed then that he believed “the hospital to be safe”.

Sky News however reported on Monday that it understands that mould and water leaks have been identified in clinical areas within the adult bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit, which treats patients with severely weakened immune systems.

Mr Sarwar, who has repeatedly raised issues with the hospital with Mr Swinney, said the investigation showed why he had been “right to question the First Minister week after week”.

The Scottish Labour leader stressed the need to be “open, truthful and transparent” about the situation at the hospital.

As well as holding the leadership of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to account, he also challenged SNP ministers over “taking responsibility, rather than passing the buck”.

Mr Sarwar said: “We can’t put politics before patient safety.

“So we need as much transparency as possible.

“We need an openness from government and the health board, rather than relying upon journalists doing independent investigations to try and find the truth.”

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde confirmed that a “number of rooms on ward 4B are closed at the moment and are being managed in line with agreed recognised processes”.

The spokesperson added: “These rooms do not have patients in them and actions have been implemented including sealing the rooms off as a precaution, with additional appropriate infection control measures taken to mitigate any potential risks to patients.

“We are in communication with patients to ensure they are fully kept up to date.”

They said: “Patient safety remains at the heart of everything we do, and infection prevention and control are core priorities across all our hospitals.

“Since the QEUH and RHC (the Royal Hospital for Children) opened in 2015, we have faced challenges linked to the original build quality.

“The building we got was not what we paid for.

“We acknowledge the impact this has had on patients, families, whistleblowers and staff, and we are sorry for the distress caused.”