Widow accuses health board of 'letting families down' over deaths

The widow of a Scottish authorities authoritative who died aft contracting Covid portion undergoing crab attraction has accused a wellness committee of letting her and different families down.

Andrew Slorance contracted the microorganism portion helium was a diligent astatine the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) successful Glasgow successful 2020.

His woman Louise, who volition aboriginal springiness grounds to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, has repeatedly said the information surrounding her husband’s decease has been “covered up” to support the hospital’s reputation.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it wanted to guarantee patients, families, unit and the nationalist that its hospitals were safe, but would not remark further portion the enquiry was ongoing.

Mr Slorance, who died aged 49, had gone into infirmary successful October 2020 for a stem compartment transplant and chemotherapy aft being diagnosed with mantle compartment lymphoma.

He died six weeks aft being admitted, with the authoritative origin of decease listed arsenic “Covid pneumonia”.

Prior to his death, Mr Slorance was caput of the Scottish government’s effect and connection unit, which was liable for its handling of the Covid pandemic.

Former archetypal curate Nicola Sturgeon described Mr Slorance, a begetter of five, arsenic a “wonderful person”.

Mrs Slorance has maintained that mistakes were made implicit her husband’s care.

When she requested his aesculapian notes aft his death, she recovered helium had besides been treated for a fungus called aspergillus, which had not antecedently been disclosed to her.

She believes that the £840m QEUH, which was nether unit anterior to the pandemic owed to the deaths of respective patients from bacterial infections, had been protected from further criticism.

Mrs Slorance besides accused the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) wellness committee of “hiding the truth” implicit her husband’s death.

She volition springiness grounds to the enquiry alongside different families whose loved ones died astatine the hospital.

In a connection released up of her evidence, she said: “We placed our spot successful the wellness committee and the infirmary to support our loved ones safe, they not lone fto our families down, but the wellness committee added to our trauma by hiding the truth.

“We person fought for each scrap of insubstantial we person received, our grief suspended portion we combat for the truth.

“Today, years aft their deaths, we yet person the accidental to picture the lengths that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde went to, to halt america knowing the events starring up to the deaths of our husbands and mums."

The nationalist enquiry is investigating the nexus betwixt operation of the infirmary field and information issues experienced by patients.

The field was built successful 2015, but concerns were raised implicit the information of h2o and ventilation systems.

Milly Main, a 10-year-old who was diagnosed with leukaemia successful 2012, died successful 2017 aft contracting stenotrophomonas astatine the campus.

A 10-year-old lad and a 73-year-old pistillate besides died aft contracting a cryptococcus infection, linked to pigeon droppings, portion being treated astatine the hospital.

The enquiry is being chaired by Lord Brodie KC and is examining issues astatine some the QEUH field successful Glasgow, and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and Department of Clinical Neurosciences successful Edinburgh.

Several different families are scheduled to springiness their grounds to the inquiry.

Tony Dynes besides died successful the infirmary portion receiving attraction for cancer.

Like Mr Slorance, his aesculapian records showed helium had a affirmative civilization of aspergillus anterior to his decease successful May 2021.

His widow Maureen Dynes volition beryllium among those to stock their experiences.

Meanwhile, Beth and Sandie Armstrong, daughters of Gail Armstrong, said she suffered with a cryptococcus corruption successful November 2018.

She died successful January 2019, soon earlier the infirmary announced determination had been different decease owed to the bacteria.

Her decease is being investigated by Police Scotland arsenic portion of a firm homicide claim against NHSGGC.

In a associated statement, the families demanded that high-risk patients beryllium transferred to “alternative and safe” caller hospitals successful bid to support them portion the probe continues.

They said: “Our trauma cannot extremity portion untruths prevail and, justness and accountability has yet to beryllium served.

“Knowing afloat good the symptom and trauma that has travel with our household member’s avoidable death, we cannot hazard different families suffering the same."

A spokesperson for the Greater Glasgow and Clyde wellness committee said the information of its hospitals was "clearly evidenced" by publically disposable indicators of safety, collected and monitored astatine a section and nationalist level.

They said: "Mandatory surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) demonstrates NHSGGC consistently performs amended than galore different boards crossed Scotland and mortality rates astatine the QEUH field are successful enactment with and astatine times little than the Scottish average.

"The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry has heard from cardinal adept individuals including a fig of NHSGGC unit who person provided grounds successful narration to infirmary information and corruption prevention and power procedures and this is the spot to see these matters. We volition proceed to enactment the enquiry to afloat found the facts. As this is an ongoing inquiry, we volition not remark immoderate further connected these issues.

“We widen our sympathies to immoderate families who person mislaid loved ones successful our attraction and each those affected during the inquiry.”