Flagship superhospital was not what we expected, medical director tells inquiry

The aesculapian manager of a wellness committee has told a nationalist enquiry that “we did not get what we expected” with a flagship infirmary astatine the centre of corruption concerns.

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry heard grounds connected Thursday from Dr Jennifer Armstrong, the aesculapian manager of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which runs the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) field successful Glasgow.

The enquiry is presently investigating the operation of the QEUH campus, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children.

It was launched successful the aftermath of deaths linked to infections, including that of 10-year-old Milly Main.

Dr Armstrong said to the inquiry: “I thought we were getting a fantastic hospital, due to the fact that we’ve been moving truthful agelong for this, but we did not get what we expected.”

She said she archetypal became alert of issues with the infirmary successful the mediate of 2015.

She said she learned wards intended for big and kid bony marrow patients, and for radical with infectious diseases, were not “fit for patients”, with holes successful the walls and nary Hepa aerial filters.

The problems were specified that wrong months of being brought into the QEUH, big bony marrow patients were moved backmost to their erstwhile accommodation astatine the Beatson facility.

Lead counsel to the enquiry Fred Mackintosh KC asked Dr Armstrong whether aft learning of the issues she became “suspicious of whether the task squad and/or the contractor had done their jobs properly”.

He added: “You were the aesculapian director, and truthful you could person said: ‘I privation to cognize what other is wrong.’

“Because we bash cognize present that determination were problems with the h2o strategy and determination were problems with the wide ventilation, but you didn’t find those out.

“And it whitethorn be, and I’ll enactment it retired to you that you didn’t ask, and possibly you should person done.”

She replied that she did not deliberation it was successful the “remit of the aesculapian manager to look astatine the areas that you’re talking about”.

It is not wrong the remit of, I believe, immoderate aesculapian manager to really past spell into the estates broadside and beryllium capable to inquire questions around, 'what was the h2o strategy like?'

Dr Jennifer Armstrong

She continued: “When we had problems with the bony marrow transplant units and so immoderate different problems that arose, past I was very, precise keen connected sorting it retired arsenic good arsenic keen connected the diligent information aspect.

“But it is not wrong the remit of, I believe, immoderate aesculapian manager to really past spell into the estates broadside and beryllium capable to inquire questions around, ‘what was the h2o strategy like?’

“That is really the work of the task director, the manager of estates and the wide absorption system.”

She was besides asked astir her handling of concerns raised connected a fig of occasions by corruption power doctors (ICDs) regarding diligent information successful the affected wards.

These included immoderate unit utilizing the hospital’s whistleblowing procedures to escalate concerns astir the ventilation and h2o systems astatine the infirmary that they felt were not being taken earnestly by management.

Dr Armstrong accepted those raising concerns had been acting successful accordance with the “duties they clasp nether bully aesculapian practice” and that they were bringing up “good points”.

However she said determination were “other ways it could person been dealt with earlier it reached me”.

She added that portion she did not deliberation elder absorption had been “withholding” accusation from ICDs, she accepted determination should person been amended systems successful spot for “cascading” accusation to them astir the actions the infirmary was taking to code the problems they were raising.

She besides denied that a gathering she had with whistleblowers successful 2017 had been “difficult” oregon “intimidating”, oregon that astatine 1 constituent during the gathering she had told Dr Christine Peters, who was 1 of the whistleblowers, she was “head of nothing”.

She was besides asked whether it would person been amended if the infirmary had been built “in conformity to the guidance” successful the archetypal place, fixed its £800 cardinal terms tag.

She replied: “I deliberation if it would person avoided each the issues that we had, that would person been fantastic, due to the fact that the accent the patients were enactment under, peculiarly the 2A (paediatric bony marrow transplant) patients, was enormous.

“So absolutely, I deliberation that we should person had that.”