NHS chiefs have refused to disclose how much public money was spent on a controversial report about a scandal-hit hospital.
The document ordered by the NHS Central Legal Office claimed there was “little to no evidence” to link the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH)’s environment to a string of rare infections in patients.
It also suggested patients, mainly children with cancer, could have brought their infections into the hospital themselve.
That’s despite a 2021 independent review stating that a third of patients’ infections and the deaths of two children were likely to have been caused – at least in part – by the hospital environment.
But now asked by the cost of it under Freedom of Information laws, the NHS body has refused – claiming it is confidential information.
Last night David Campbell, whose son James was being treated for cancer at the site in 2018 when he was given anti-fungal drugs due to the problems with contaminated water, said: “Taxpayers’ money has been spent on this document and it’s only fair the NHS says how much money was spent on it which looks like it’s only function is to discredit previous expert findings and put the blame on families and patients for the infections they contracted while at the QEUH.
“Why the NHS is refusing to say how much money they wasted on this is beyond me and just adds insult to injury for everyone affected by this scandal.”
In August a judge blocked a bid by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) to have the report submitted in evidence to a public inquiry investigating the hospital infections scandal as it was produced just weeks before a fresh set of hearings started.
Lawyers for patients and whistleblowers also objected saying they had no knowledge of the document and allowing it into evidence would delay the inquiry.
Now the health board is taking the ruling to a judicial review.
The Central Legal Office, which instructed the report on behalf of NHSGGC, has refused a request by the Sunday Mail to say how much was paid to the three experts who wrote the document, how much it cost in total and what the experts were told prior to writing up their findings.
In a response to a freedom of information request officials said: “The arrangements made by NHS Central Legal Office (CLO) in relation to the amounts paid to experts for their input and reports are confidential between CLO and the experts instructed.
“This information will not be disclosed.”
Despite acknowledging there was a public interest in revealing what experts were told about the report, officials said that was “outweighed by the interests of CLO and NHSGGC in maintaining the privilege in this correspondence given the various legal processes and proceedings in which it is involved related to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Once again NHS leaders are opting for secrecy over openness and attempting to keep the public in the dark.
“The deaths at the QEUH are one of the worst scandal in the history of devolution – the public deserve total transparency.
“The details of this dodgy report must be made public and the SNP must stop enabling the rotten culture of cover-up at the top of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.”
NHSGGC has been named as a suspect in a corporate homicide probe into the deaths of three children and an adult at the QEUH, including 10-year-old schoolgirl Milly Main.
It is also taking a civil case against hospital contractor Brookfield Multiplex arguing the site was not built to specifications.
Other patients and their families are also considering legal action.
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