'We were lied to, demeaned and smeared': Hospital inquiry families call for Glasgow health board bosses to 'face a reckoning'

Families of patients treated at Scotland's superhospital which is at the centre of infection concerns are calling for health board bosses to "face a reckoning" amid claims they were "lied to", "demeaned and smeared".

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry has been examining the design and construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus in Glasgow.

In closing submissions, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) said "pressure was applied" to open the hospital on time and on budget in 2015, and it is now clear it "opened too early" and "was not ready".

The health board also admitted, on the balance of probabilities, there was a "causal connection between some infections suffered by patients and the hospital environment, in particular the water system".

However, it added that there was "no definite link between infections and the water system".

NHSGGC has offered a "sincere and unreserved apology" to the patients and families affected, and said the QEUH and Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) - which are on the same campus - are "safe today".

'Deceit and conniving cowardice'

Thompsons Solicitors Scotland represents the majority of the affected families and issued a statement on their behalf.

It read: "We were all lied to by GGCH [Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board]. We were all disbelieved by GGCH.

"We were all demeaned and smeared by GGCH. We have all had our families devastated and our lives traumatised by GGCH."

It added: "We cannot overstate the level of deceit and conniving cowardice displayed by GGCH during the whole unfolding of this awful scandal."

The families urged political leaders to "act now" as they paid tribute to the "brave and decent" clinicians and staff who tried to speak out but were reportedly "silenced" by the health board.

The statement added: "Those past and present who have presided over this despicable incompetence and cover-up must now be held to account.

"The leadership of GGCH past and present must now face a reckoning."

'The hospitals are safe today'

NHSGGC said ensuring the safe care of patients is a "key priority at all times".

The health board added: "Comprehensive steps have been taken to address past physical defects in the building and a significant programme of maintenance and monitoring is in place.

"Our staff are committed to providing safe, high-quality care. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to comment further at this time while the inquiry is ongoing."

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The inquiry - which is also looking at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences (RHCYP/DCN) in Edinburgh - was launched in the wake of deaths linked to infections, including that of 10-year-old Milly Main.

Milly died in 2017 after contracting an infection within the RHC's cancer ward.

Scottish Labour are calling for the release of all documents relating to the opening of the QEUH, with the Scottish Conservatives additionally pushing for Nicola Sturgeon to make a personal statement to Holyrood on the issue.

Ms Sturgeon was health secretary when the hospital was commissioned and first minister when it opened.

The inquiry, chaired by Lord Brodie, will hear closing statements from the families later on Thursday.

'Who applied the pressure?'

At FMQs, First Minister John Swinney dodged questions over who supposedly applied pressure on the health board to open the hospital on time and on budget.

Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay asked: "Did Nicola Sturgeon or anyone else in the SNP government apply political pressure to open the hospital before it was ready?"

Mr Swinney replied: "The direct answer to that question is no."

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar branded it the "biggest scandal in the history of this parliament".

Mr Swinney claimed the Scottish government was first told by NHSGGC of a "water contamination problem" in March 2018.

The first minister acknowledged the "significant public interest" in the inquiry as he was repeatedly questioned over "who applied that pressure and why".

He replied: "These issues are the substance of the public inquiry.

"And as I've indicated to in my answers already, the government clearly expected the hospital to open, preparations were being taken to do that, and the operational responsibility for that lay with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

"And these issues are the substance of the inquiry that Lord Brodie must undertake."

Mr Swinney said his government had shared all relevant evidence that addresses the terms of reference of the inquiry.

But he added: "Nonetheless, if there is anything further related to the business of government, whether that's cabinet minutes or ministerial correspondence not submitted to the inquiry, then I'm happy to release this, subject to any appropriate redactions, such as personal information and the respecting of legal professional privilege."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'We were lied to, demeaned and smeared': Hospital inquiry families cal