Problem-hit Glasgow hospital was not what the country paid for, says Constance
The Health Secretary addressed issues at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital as she faced MSPs on Wednesday.
Scots “did not get the hospital the country paid for” with the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), the Health Secretary has said.
The flagship Glasgow facility has been beset by issues in recent years, sparking a public inquiry into the environment at the hospital, as well as the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh.
Earlier this year, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde admitted there was a “probable” link between contaminated water and ventilation systems at the hospital and the deaths of patients.
The near-£1 billion facility opened in 2015, in the early months of Nicola Sturgeon’s tenure as first minister, with some claiming it began seeing patients before it was ready.
Ms Sturgeon and other Scottish Government ministers have repeatedly rejected accusations it was opened too early for political reasons.
Speaking in Holyrood as she appeared before the Health, Care and Sport Committee for the first time since being appointed Health Secretary in May, Angela Constance said: “There is a range of works currently under way in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
“My officials have oversight of that, there are various assurance processes.
“But it is clear that the people of Scotland did not get the hospital that the country paid for and I have no doubt that the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry will shed crucial light on a whole range of issues.
“But in terms of the here-and-now, we are, I can assure you, actively engaged in that.”
The inquiry is yet to publish its final report.
A spokesperson for the health board said: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) did not receive the hospital it had specified and paid for, and a number of legal proceedings against the builder and contractors remain ongoing.”
“In response to significant historical issues, NHSGGC has undertaken extensive remedial work to improve the hospital environment and provide the highest possible standards of care and patient experience. This includes removal of atrium wall panels and a fire door replacement programme. We also continue to undertake significant ongoing work in response to historical defects to improve the clinical areas.
“Patient safety remains at the heart of everything we do, and mitigations are in place to ensure the safety of the QEUH campus including fire risk assessment processes.”