News

Part 2 of Glasgow IV Hearings will begin on 19 August 2025, where the Inquiry will continue to hear evidence in relation to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow. 

The primary purpose of Glasgow IV, Part 2, hearing is to consider the report by Professor Hawkey, Dr Agrawal and Dr Drumright in respect of risk of infection from the water and ventilation systems at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children, and whether there was an exceedance of infections in the period of 2016 to 2019.   This report was originally instructed by NHS GGC.

In March 2025, NHS GGC submitted to the Inquiry that the report directly addresses whether “the built environment of the QEUH/RHC expose[s] patients to an increased risk of infection”.  This effectively amounts to a submission that the report addresses Key Question 4 which is: Is there a link, and if so in what way and to what extent, between patient infections and identified unsafe features of the water and ventilation systems? In that submission NHS GGC also submitted that: “The Report concludes, following detailed data analysis, that there were no excess infections at the QEUH/RHC when compared with other hospitals.” 

The Inquiry Team has obtained commentary or reviews of this report from the Case Notes Review Expert Panel (Gaynor Evans, Professor Wilcox and Professor Stevens), Dr Shona Cairns from ARHAI Scotland and the Inquiry appointed experts Dr Sara Mumford and Mr Sid Mookerjee.

The Inquiry has not previously examined the similarities and differences between infection rates in the QEUH and other hospitals in NHS GGC and in particular at Yorkhill, beyond what is contained in the 2019 HPS Reviews. In light of the interest taken in blood stream infection rates amongst paediatric haemato-oncology patients at Yorkhill, the Inquiry Team has sought additional evidence from clinicians who might be expected to have direct experience of the incidence of such infections there and who gave evidence in our Glasgow II and Glasgow III hearings held in June 2023 and August-November 2024. Questionnaires were sent to these witnesses in April and May 2025, and their statements have now been bundled. Most of these witnesses will give evidence in Glasgow 4, Part 2 by written statement only.

The hearing will also hear further evidence on the assessment and management of risk by considering Dr Mumford’s report, prepared following comments made in the closing statements on behalf of the Scottish Ministers and NHS NSS after the Glasgow III hearing. 

This will be the second of three parts to the Glasgow IV hearings, with part two scheduled to run over eight sitting days in August – Tuesday 19th to Friday 22nd and Tuesday 26th to Friday 29th. There will be no closing submissions for the end of part 2; they will be produced at the end of the part 3 when Glasgow IV Hearings are complete.