Latest news with #ScottishHospitalsInquiry
The Herald Scotland
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Cost of public inquiries in Scotland since 2007 rises to £230m
Some £666,949 of this was spent on staff, while £316,035 was spent on external legal costs. Patients of the disgraced neurosurgeon, who worked for NHS Tayside between 1995 and 2014, have claimed he harmed as many as 200 people, with some suffering life-changing injuries. The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, which was announced in 2014 to investigate the abuse of children in care, remains the most expensive in the country, with a current cost of £95.3 million. READ MORE: The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry, which is examining the Government's response to the pandemic, was announced in 2021 and has already cost £34 million. Meanwhile, the cost of the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry, which was announced in 2019, stood at £23.6 million as of December 2024. That inquiry is probing the death of Mr Bayoh, who died after being restrained by police in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in 2015. The costs of the ongoing Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, which is examining issues with the construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, have risen to £23.6 million. That inquiry was announced in 2019. The completed Edinburgh Trams Inquiry cost £13.1 million. The news comes as Holyrood's Finance Committee investigates the cost-effectiveness of public inquiries. MSPs could probe the role of legal firms and whether they have a vested interest in inquiries running on for years past their original finish date, and whether they have a conflict of interest in seeking to broaden the remit of inquiries, increasing costs further. Professor Sandy Cameron, the former chair of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, will appear before the Finance Committee on Tuesday. In a written submission to the committee, Professor Cameron said that part of the reason for the rising costs of inquiries was the difficulty in managing legal fees and holding solicitors to budget. He said: 'It has to be recognised that inquiries are a source of substantial income for some large legal firms and, as such, the question arises as to the extent to which they are motivated to keep costs to a minimum and within budget.' Costs can also increase if more victims come forward when the timetable of an inquiry is expanded. Professor Cameron warned the length of some inquiries risks the loss of public interest while adding pressure to victims seeking answers. She said there is also the risk of 'passion fatigue' for participants if they run on. He added: 'Essentially, we need to ask the questions what are inquiries trying to achieve and could they be done differently? 'If we were starting from scratch could we devise a process which was more effective and less costly?'
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Inquiry findings show we were right to delay opening of hospital, says Gray
The findings of an inquiry show it was the right decision not to open an Edinburgh children's hospital, Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray has said. The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry released its interim findings earlier this month, with chairman Lord Brodie saying NHS Lothian was not clear enough on the design of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in the capital. The opening of the facility was halted just hours before it was due to begin receiving patients at the behest of then health secretary Jeane Freeman due to concerns about the ventilation system in the paediatric critical care department. Ms Freeman later launched the inquiry, which has also looked at issues with the building of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow after a number of deaths of patients linked to infections. Speaking in Holyrood on Thursday, Mr Gray said Lord Brodie's report showed Ms Freeman made the right decision. 'The interim report confirms that the decision taken by the then cabinet secretary to postpone the opening of the hospital was the right decision,' he said. 'This decision understood the risks associated with the introduction of patients into a facility that had not met the required safety standards. 'Only through this direct intervention by the then cabinet secretary were we able to act and deliver the necessary changes to the built environment.' The opening of the hospital was delayed by almost two years until March 2021, at a reported cost of almost £17 million. The hospital, Mr Gray said, is now providing 'safe, effective, person-centred care, and has been since the facilities opened in March 2021'. But Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie – who is also her party's health spokeswoman – questioned why a similar delay did not take place at the Glasgow hospital. 'In the case of the Edinburgh Sick Kids, unfortunate though the delay was and the uncertainty for families, thankfully, no child lost their life,' she said. 'I believe Jeane Freeman was right to put patient safety first. 'In contrast, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Nicola Sturgeon's flagship, was rushed through when it clearly was not safe and children died as a consequence.' Dame Jackie asked the Health Secretary what lessons had been learned as a result of the issues encountered at the facilities. 'I would caution Jackie Baillie around arriving at conclusions around the Glasgow side of the inquiry – the inquiry is still ongoing,' the Health Secretary said. 'There is much evidence still to be led in that inquiry and I would not, I certainly cannot, prejudge or seem to cut across in any way, the work of a public inquiry.' On lessons that have been learned, the Health Secretary pointed to NHS Assure, an agency set up to assess risk in the NHS estate, which he said was 'about making sure that every single stage of the commissioning of a health infrastructure programme that we have assurance as to the safety and to the practicality of a health project'. He added: 'I believe that is giving us much greater assurance as to the safety that Jackie Baillie is looking for.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Inquiry findings show we were right to delay opening of hospital, says Gray
The findings of an inquiry show it was the right decision not to open an Edinburgh children's hospital, Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray has said. The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry released its interim findings earlier this month, with chairman Lord Brodie saying NHS Lothian was not clear enough on the design of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in the capital. The opening of the facility was halted just hours before it was due to begin receiving patients at the behest of then health secretary Jeane Freeman due to concerns about the ventilation system in the paediatric critical care department. Ms Freeman later launched the inquiry, which has also looked at issues with the building of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow after a number of deaths of patients linked to infections. Speaking in Holyrood on Thursday, Mr Gray said Lord Brodie's report showed Ms Freeman made the right decision. 'The interim report confirms that the decision taken by the then cabinet secretary to postpone the opening of the hospital was the right decision,' he said. 'This decision understood the risks associated with the introduction of patients into a facility that had not met the required safety standards. 'Only through this direct intervention by the then cabinet secretary were we able to act and deliver the necessary changes to the built environment.' The opening of the hospital was delayed by almost two years until March 2021, at a reported cost of almost £17 million. The hospital, Mr Gray said, is now providing 'safe, effective, person-centred care, and has been since the facilities opened in March 2021'. But Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie – who is also her party's health spokeswoman – questioned why a similar delay did not take place at the Glasgow hospital. 'In the case of the Edinburgh Sick Kids, unfortunate though the delay was and the uncertainty for families, thankfully, no child lost their life,' she said. 'I believe Jeane Freeman was right to put patient safety first. 'In contrast, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Nicola Sturgeon's flagship, was rushed through when it clearly was not safe and children died as a consequence.' Dame Jackie asked the Health Secretary what lessons had been learned as a result of the issues encountered at the facilities. 'I would caution Jackie Baillie around arriving at conclusions around the Glasgow side of the inquiry – the inquiry is still ongoing,' the Health Secretary said. 'There is much evidence still to be led in that inquiry and I would not, I certainly cannot, prejudge or seem to cut across in any way, the work of a public inquiry.' On lessons that have been learned, the Health Secretary pointed to NHS Assure, an agency set up to assess risk in the NHS estate, which he said was 'about making sure that every single stage of the commissioning of a health infrastructure programme that we have assurance as to the safety and to the practicality of a health project'. He added: 'I believe that is giving us much greater assurance as to the safety that Jackie Baillie is looking for.'
The Independent
03-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Health board not clear on design for hospital ventilation system, inquiry finds
One of Scotland's biggest health boards was not clear enough on the design of the ventilation system which delayed the opening of a children's hospital, an inquiry has found. The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh were due to open in July 2019 but a delay was announced just hours before. Eventually opening in March 2021 with the delay believed to have cost almost £17 million, the hospital became a subject of the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry – alongside parts of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow. Lord Brodie, chairman of the inquiry, published 11 recommendations on Monday as part of his interim report, where he criticised NHS Lothian's handling of the design of the RHCYP and accused it of leaving patients and families 'in the dark' on the delay. Ahead of the opening of the site, issues with the pressure differentials and air change rates – which can help to protect from airborne diseases – in the ventilation of the paediatric critical care department were found, the inquiry reported. Lord Brodie said: 'On the basis of the evidence that I have heard, I have concluded that in a project for the construction or refurbishment of a healthcare facility, it is the health board, as the prospective provider of that healthcare, in consultation with relevant stakeholders and clinical and technical advisers, that is best-placed to identify what it requires from the ventilation system. 'This includes the precise output parameters that the ventilation system must meet. 'Accordingly, determining the output parameters of a ventilation system should not be left to the judgment of the project company and its subcontractors during the design phase. 'The design should address how previously determined parameters are to be achieved, not what should be achieved. 'In relation to this project, it is my conclusion that NHS Lothian did not present its requirements for the output specifications of the ventilation system with sufficient clarity and precision.' Instead, the board relied on the contractor's interpretation of NHS guidance for ventilation systems, the inquiry found, and provided a document described as an 'environmental matrix' which set specifications for the ventilation system. The matrix contained an 'undetected error' in relation to critical care rooms, the inquiry said. Jim Crombie, the deputy chief executive of NHS Lothian, said: 'Lord Brodie has identified our failure to provide a clear design brief at the outset as critical to events as well as weaknesses in governance and understanding between contractual partners. 'We are sorry for these failures and also deeply regret that opportunities were missed by all parties over the course of the project to detect and rectify errors in the design of the ventilation regime. 'The report acknowledges the changes that have been put in place in NHS Lothian and the new guidance introduced since 2019 to ensure that lessons are learned and similar events can be prevented in the future. 'Finally, I'd like to thank the relatives of patients affected by the delay who took part in the inquiry for their important contributions.' As well as the design of the buildings, the inquiry also criticised NHS Lothian's handling of communications with patients and their families around the delay. 'The decision not to open the hospital as planned had a significant impact on patients and their families, who were shocked, scared and deeply disappointed that long-promised new facilities were not to be available for the treatment, in some cases, of children suffering from very serious conditions,' Lord Brodie said. ' Patients and their families were left in the dark as to the reasons why the hospital did not open as planned. 'Communication with patients and families was unsatisfactory in this regard. I have seen this to have been important. 'There is a group of young patients who are very seriously ill and spend a significant portion of their time, sometimes much of their lives, in hospital. 'They are supported by family members or guardians. The hospital becomes, for them, their second home. 'The impact of unclear or poor communication on the wellbeing of patients and their families during what may already be a very difficult, emotional and uncertain period in their lives is significant.' Mr Crombie added: 'Patient safety was always our driving force in commissioning a first-class hospital building so we know that the discovery of a ventilation problem just days before it was due to open caused shock and significant concern for our patients, their families and our staff. 'We once again reiterate our sincere and unreserved apology to them all for the resulting delay to the transfer of patient services to the new facility. 'I am particularly sorry that patients and their families were let down at a time when they were already worried and vulnerable.' The final report of the inquiry is expected next year.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health board not clear on design for hospital ventilation system, inquiry finds
One of Scotland's biggest health boards was not clear enough on the design of the ventilation system which delayed the opening of a children's hospital, an inquiry has found. The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh were due to open in July 2019 but a delay was announced just hours before. Eventually opening in March 2021 with the delay believed to have cost almost £17 million, the hospital became a subject of the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry – alongside parts of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow. Lord Brodie, chairman of the inquiry, published 11 recommendations on Monday as part of his interim report, where he criticised NHS Lothian's handling of the design of the RHCYP and accused it of leaving patients and families 'in the dark' on the delay. Ahead of the opening of the site, issues with the pressure differentials and air change rates – which can help to protect from airborne diseases – in the ventilation of the paediatric critical care department were found, the inquiry reported. Lord Brodie said: 'On the basis of the evidence that I have heard, I have concluded that in a project for the construction or refurbishment of a healthcare facility, it is the health board, as the prospective provider of that healthcare, in consultation with relevant stakeholders and clinical and technical advisers, that is best-placed to identify what it requires from the ventilation system. 'This includes the precise output parameters that the ventilation system must meet. 'Accordingly, determining the output parameters of a ventilation system should not be left to the judgment of the project company and its subcontractors during the design phase. 'The design should address how previously determined parameters are to be achieved, not what should be achieved. 'In relation to this project, it is my conclusion that NHS Lothian did not present its requirements for the output specifications of the ventilation system with sufficient clarity and precision.' Instead, the board relied on the contractor's interpretation of NHS guidance for ventilation systems, the inquiry found, and provided a document described as an 'environmental matrix' which set specifications for the ventilation system. The matrix contained an 'undetected error' in relation to critical care rooms, the inquiry said. As well as the design of the buildings, the inquiry also criticised NHS Lothian's handling of communications with patients and their families around the delay. 'The decision not to open the hospital as planned had a significant impact on patients and their families, who were shocked, scared and deeply disappointed that long-promised new facilities were not to be available for the treatment, in some cases, of children suffering from very serious conditions,' Lord Brodie said. 'Patients and their families were left in the dark as to the reasons why the hospital did not open as planned. 'Communication with patients and families was unsatisfactory in this regard. I have seen this to have been important. 'There is a group of young patients who are very seriously ill and spend a significant portion of their time, sometimes much of their lives, in hospital. 'They are supported by family members or guardians. The hospital becomes, for them, their second home. 'The impact of unclear or poor communication on the wellbeing of patients and their families during what may already be a very difficult, emotional and uncertain period in their lives is significant.' The final report of the inquiry is expected next year. NHS Lothian has been contacted for comment.
