Glasgow NHS board to face further scrutiny after infections scandal

The entire health board has now been put at stage four of the NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework.

In November, the board was placed at stage four over ongoing issues relating to infection prevention, management and control at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and the Royal Hospital for Children.

But a decision has now been taken to place the full board at that stage.

The health board have been dealing with a number of scandals around the QEUH after a series of infections and death of patients.

Milly Main, 10, died in hospital after contracting an infection

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Concerns about the water supply on the campus were raised after it emerged 10-year-old cancer patient Milly Main died at the children's hospital on the site after contracting an infection in August 2017.

Her parents have called for a fatal accident inquiry into her death.

A five-stage scale is used in Scotland to show the level of oversight for stricken health boards.

A stage four ranking is given to a board where there are "significant risks to delivery, quality, financial performance or safety" with "senior level external support required".

Principal areas of support concentrating on scheduled care, unscheduled care, primary care out of hours, finance and culture and leadership, will all be assessed as part of the latest escalation.

To facilitate support for the board, NHS Lanarkshire chief executive Calum Campbell has been appointed as a turnaround director.

Labour MSP for Glasgow Anas Sarwar said the move is a step in the "right direction", but added that NHSGGC remains in "denial of its catastrophic failings".

Jeane Freeman

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Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the move would provide an increased level of scrutiny and intervention at the board.

"All of us, rightly, have high expectations of our NHS and I'm focused on improving performance and delivery across the system in order to provide the best care possible for the people of Scotland," she said.

"In order to provide additional direction and support to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde I have taken the decision to escalate the board as a whole to stage four of the Performance Escalation Framework.

"Calum Campbell as turnaround director will provide an increased level of scrutiny and intervention."

Mr Sarwar said: "This is a step in the right direction, and it’s encouraging that Jeane Freeman has recognised the scale of the crisis at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

“But the health board itself remains in complete denial of its catastrophic failings.

“It simply isn’t tenable for those in charge to remain in post. They have lost the trust of patients, families and the public.

“At the heart of the scandals are bereaved parents and loved ones who have been let down by senior managers at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and they deserve justice.”

Calling for Ms Freeman to resign, Scottish Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said: "Ms Freeman's desperate attempt to reshuffle her way out of an NHS crisis shows just how out of ideas she is.

"Ms Freeman demonstrated a profound lack of judgment when she kept details of a deceased child secret, she continues to demonstrate that same lack of judgment if this is the best she can do.

"She should now resign and let someone else try to improve our NHS for the benefit of patients and the extremely hard-working NHS staff doing their best in this broken system."