STV NewsThe court process for a fatal accident inquiry into the death of a three-year-old boy at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) gets under way on Tuesday.
Archie Donald died on November 20, 2019 after being admitted to the Royal Hospital for Children, part of the QEUH campus, for treatment.
The inquiry will examine the circumstances of Archie’s death, with an expected focus on what role the identification and treatment of a line infection played in his death, the delay in admittance, and record sharing.
It will also consider whether the built hospital environment played a role in the contraction of the infection.
A preliminary hearing begins at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Tuesday.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain ordered a “discretionary” fatal accident inquiry into Archie’s death – whereas in some cases FAIs are mandatory, including deaths in custody or at work.
The inquiry will establish if reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of deaths in similar circumstances, rather than attribute blame.
Earlier this year, the Crown Office ordered fatal accident inquiries to investigate “the death of several children” at the QEUH, which is subject to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, a statutory probe into the construction of the facility.
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