Cancer Patients 'warned For Years' About Hospital Water Infections

The begetter of a female whose decease is being investigated by prosecutors said a wellness committee was "warned for years" astir issues pinch a awesome hospital's h2o strategy that it has now admitted astir apt caused infections successful kid crab patients.

Molly Cuddihy - who died successful August aged 23 - became earnestly sick successful 2018 pinch an infection perchance acquired astatine nan Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) successful Glasgow.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) had consistently denied germs successful nan h2o was responsible for causing immoderate infections which led to nan deaths of patients.

But successful closing submissions to nan Scottish Hospitals Inquiry it has now admitted "on nan equilibrium of probabilities", that location was a "causal connection" betwixt immoderate infections and nan infirmary environment.

Molly's father, John, told BBC Scotland News nan connection was "overdue recognition".

He added: "Molly's words and acquisition must proceed to echo beyond her lifetime."

A spokesperson for NHSGGC said it was supporting nan enquiry while nan Scottish authorities said it would beryllium "inappropriate to comment".

The probe was launched to analyse mistakes made successful nan planning, creation and building of nan QEUH campus pursuing concerns astir different infections and nan deaths of 4 patients.

Those included 10-year-old Milly Main, who died aft contracting nan stenotrophomonas germs while undergoing curen for leukaemia successful 2017.

A abstracted corporate homicide investigation into nan deaths of Milly, 2 different children and 73-year-old Gail Armstrong was launched successful 2021.

And past twelvemonth prosecutors opened an investigation into Molly's decease aft it was reported by a consultant.

Molly, from Gourock, Inverclyde, was 15 erstwhile she was diagnosed pinch metastatic Ewing sarcoma.

In 2024 she told BBC Scotland News really she knew thing was incorrect erstwhile nan radiographer started crying during her scan.

Cuddihy said concerns astir nan h2o proviso were first raised successful 2018, nan aforesaid twelvemonth Molly developed septic daze while receiving crab curen astatine nan QEUH.

The erstwhile Police Scotland caput of organised crime and antagonistic coercion said each his girl wanted was charismatic acknowledgement that location was an rumor pinch nan hospital's h2o system.

Cuddihy added: "The sad point is Molly is successful her sedate and she ne'er sewage to publication nan words aliases perceive what they had to say."

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry will this week perceive oral submissions and Cuddihy hopes patients will beryllium astatine nan bosom of nan proceedings.

He said: "What I would for illustration going guardant is that Molly's sound and nan voices of those different children will power existent change."

Cuddihy said this would see annual, validated checks to infirmary ventilation and h2o systems.

Molly's curen for her erstwhile hospital-acquired infections successful 2018 and 2019, arsenic good arsenic her chemotherapy, had near her pinch irreparable liver damage.

She besides had to acquisition a kidney transplant successful November 2024.

Taken together this meant nan curen options aft Molly's last admittance to infirmary past July were limited.

Cuddihy said: "The trauma conscionable continued agelong aft nan crab had gone.

"Because nan effect of nan antibiotics - which would beryllium administered to leprosy patients - were truthful strong, were fixed complete a prolonged play of time, they had a worldly effect connected nan reduced kidney function, connected her liver usability connected her wide assemblage and surviving experience.

"Her value of life was reduced and it had a devastating effect connected her.

"I americium successful nary uncertainty that Molly's value of life was further eroded arsenic a consequence of nan bacteria. Absolutely nary doubt."

Visibly emotional, Cuddihy added: "Had Molly only had nan cancer, and I opportunity only nan had crab to contend with, it was difficult enough, but possibly Molly would beryllium here.

"And that's a difficult point to take. We will ne'er know."

In 2022 Molly gave evidence earlier nan Scottish Hospitals Inquiry astir her experiences astatine nan QEUH while undergoing chemotherapy arsenic a teenager.

The enquiry is besides investigating issues astatine nan Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and Department of Clinical Neurosciences successful Edinburgh.

Molly told nan enquiry really she became earnestly sick successful nan summertime of 2018 from an infection acquired from an intravenous statement utilized to administer her medication.

Cuddihy said he was disappointed his girl was not mentioned successful nan wellness board's submission and said it was captious nan victims characteristic successful nan inquiry's conclusions.

He besides hopes nan wellness board's admittance people a "turning constituent successful culture, governance and accountability crossed NHS Scotland".

Cuddihy said: "Nothing will bring Molly back.

"Our dream now is that her testimony, her suffering and her courageousness thief guarantee that nary different young person, and nary different family, has to strengthen what she did."

In a closing connection to nan Inquiry, NHSGGC said it had been "broadly acknowledged" location was nary "definite nexus betwixt infections and nan h2o system".

But it said it was "more apt than not" immoderate infections suffered by patients were connected to nan hospital's h2o supply.

They said: "NHSGGC accepts that, connected nan equilibrium of probabilities, location is simply a causal relationship betwixt immoderate infections suffered by patients and nan infirmary environment, successful peculiar nan h2o system."

Asked astir nan closing statement, a spokesperson for NHSGGC said: "We stay afloat committed to supporting nan Inquiry successful its investigations."

A Scottish authorities spokesperson said: "We established a statutory nationalist enquiry truthful that families could get answers to their questions, and truthful that lessons tin beryllium learned for early infirmary projects.

"As an independent halfway subordinate of nan Inquiry, nan Scottish authorities is committed to assisting nan Inquiry and truthful it would beryllium inappropriate to remark immoderate further astatine this time."

Milly Main had a successful stem compartment transplant successful July 2017 while successful remission from leukaemia.

Her Hickman line, a catheter utilized to administer drugs, later became infected.

Milly's information deteriorated and she went into toxic shock. She died connected 31 August 2017.

Her mother, Kimberly Darroch, welcomed nan admittance from NHSGGC, but said it should person travel overmuch earlier for nan families involved.

Darroch told BBC Scotland News: "As a mother, I've spent six years fighting for answers that should person been fixed astatine nan very beginning.

"It is bully news that nan wellness committee has admitted that, connected nan equilibrium of probabilities, location was a causal relationship betwixt nan situation and Milly's bloodstream infection.

"This acknowledgement is simply a important milestone for our family, but it besides highlights really difficult families person had to conflict conscionable to person nan truth recognised".

In 2024, nan erstwhile lead infection power expert astatine nan infirmary told nan Inquiry location was nary nonstop grounds linking nan infections to nan building.

Patrick McGuire, a elder partner astatine Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, represents galore of nan families affected.

He accused nan wellness committee of "callous evasion and dishonesty".

The solicitor added: "The families person now been vindicated but only aft years of being denigrated and dismissed by nan wellness board."

Opposition politicians said nan Scottish authorities had questions to answer.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: "The QEUH ungraded is 1 of nan worst failures successful modern Scottish nationalist life.

"Since nan infirmary opened, location has been a litany of superior problems: concerns astir h2o safety, biology risks, governance failures, and infections that devastated families."

Sarwar said families had been forced to "fight for nan truth" astir what happened to their children and added nan wellness board's admittance "should beryllium a turning point".

And Scottish Conservative wellness spokesperson Dr Sandesh Gulhane said location was grounds of "a cover-up astatine nan very top."

He said: "There is now a important assemblage of grounds that points to a cover-up astatine nan very top, which has only been exposed by this inquiry.

"Families for illustration those of Milly Main, Molly Cuddihy and galore others person waited years to get consecutive answers from those responsible.

"Those are now being extracted alternatively than freely given."