Babies moved from neonatal intensive care unit at Glasgow hospital after roof leak

Babies have been moved from an intensive care unit at Glasgow’s biggest hospital after leaks were found in the roof.

Infants in the neonatal unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) have been moved to other parts of the unit or the Royal Hospital for Children adjacent to the building.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the decision comes after external water ingress impacted several rooms within the building.

The leak was discovered during scheduled maintenance work at the QEUH Maternity Unit, which has a capacity for 40 patients.

A timescale for repairing the damage was not set, but the health board apologised to patients’ families for the disruption, which has affected overall capacity.

The neonatal unit was built in 2009 and delivers complex care for the smallest and sickest babies.

A spokesperson said: “We continue to play our full part as a national specialist care centre, working with the network of maternity and neonatal units across Scotland to ensure that care is delivered in appropriate facilities in Scotland.

“We would like to apologise to the families of babies in our care for any distress this incident has caused them.

“Our teams are keeping them fully informed of any changes we need to make to ensure continuity of service.

“We would like to make clear this is not linked to any infection control issue, nor is it linked to the water supply at the hospital.”