Senior paediatrician describes ‘mystery’ of infections at superhospital

A elder paediatrician said helium could not ideate a much superior interest than “mystery” outbreaks of corruption astatine a superhospital, an enquiry heard.

Dr Alan Mathers, main of medicine for women and children’s services astatine NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC), began moving astatine the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) successful June 2015, arsenic objective manager of obstetrics and gynaecology.

He past became the main of medicine astatine Royal Hospital for Children, successful the aforesaid campus, and said determination were initially concerns astir rooms utilized to dainty children requiring a bony marrow transplant.

Both hospitals are being investigated astatine the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry successful a bid to found if plan and operation contributed to deaths linked to infections.

Dr Mathers described QEUH arsenic a “cathedral to medicine” owed to its size, and said helium hoped the enquiry would amended however hospitals should beryllium built.

I deliberation the quality of mitigations that were being employed was of an organisation that was trying to bash something

Dr Alan Mathers

Giving evidence, helium said that during 40 years moving for the NHS, helium had seen respective corruption outbreaks, but medics successful the QEUH field were seeing “novel organisms”.

He added: “They were things which were not successful the objective memory.”

Dr Mathers told the enquiry concerns began successful 2015 regarding fungal infections, but “mutated” by 2017 to concerns astir the wider environment, and said helium was alert of issues with h2o successful 2 different Glasgow hospitals.

The enquiry heard that by 2019, further prophylaxis drugs were being prescribed to kid patients, but Dr Mathers said helium was incapable to accidental whether parents had been told of concerns astir the infirmary environment.

In August 2019 helium was invited to a gathering astir Haemato-oncology astatine QEUH, which turned into a treatment astir the chairing of corruption absorption squad (IMT) meetings, but said helium recovered them “to beryllium conducted professionally”.

In a statement, helium said: “I person experienced galore corruption clusters during my career. The contented of interest was the deficiency of a readily identifiable origin and acceptable of effectual mitigations. Once an corruption occurred, attraction was delivered but the underlying enigma remained.”

Inquiry chairman, Lord Brodie said: “You’ve described a play of clip arsenic a ‘mystery’, perchance arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2015, astir interest of fungi, and continuing astatine slightest until the commencement of 2019.”

Dr Mathers said that “2015 was astir information and prevention of hazard successful presumption of fungi, arsenic that was a hazard to immuno-suppressed patients. It had mutated by 2017 to interest astir the remainder of the environment”.

Lord Brodie said: “The concerns successful 2017 arose to a assortment of antithetic infections. You were proceeding discussed astatine IMTs, micro-organisms from your ain signifier you had not antecedently travel across. The paediatric clinicians were likewise reporting an acquisition of a assortment of antithetic infections, and you mentioned successful your connection that this continued astatine slightest until January 2019.

“Were determination immoderate suggestions that determination was thing antithetic occurring successful either hospital?”

Dr Mathers said: “No, I got nary content of determination not being a concern. I deliberation the quality of mitigations that were being employed was of an organisation that was trying to bash something.”

Lord Brodie said: “I’m funny to cognize if determination was anyone arguing oregon suggesting that determination was thing antithetic happening.”

Dr Mathers said: “I deliberation it would beryllium breathtakingly naive fixed the magnitude of information that was presented for idiosyncratic to instrumentality that position, fixed this has the capableness to get connected the beforehand leafage of a newspaper.

“I bash not deliberation you tin instrumentality a much superior script and instrumentality a punt connected it not being a problem.”

He told the enquiry the larger infirmary was not designed for children and astir 4 years aft QEUH opened the concern was “unsatisfactory”.

Dr Mathers added: “I americium acquainted with a batch of NHS gathering projects which person been beset with what immoderate radical mightiness accidental are snagging issues but are existent issues with reputation. Change is difficult. The QEUH is similar a cathedral to medicine owed to its size. Much was spoken astir its ample size compared to different hospitals successful Europe.

“The bigger you are, the request for an enhanced infrastructure. I don’t deliberation radical tin underestimate the alteration successful secretaries being embedded wrong a ward, past moved determination else. There was overmuch speech astir dissociation of that connection.

“Getting radical to enactment successful a caller situation but efficaciously and happily, is successful my presumption arsenic important arsenic the existent physique astir them.”