QEUH families say no apology given in meeting with First Minister

Families who lost loved ones to infections at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital say they have not received a formal apology from the First Minister, despite his claim he offered one during a meeting earlier this week.

Relatives of both deceased and surviving patients met with John Swinney and health secretary Neil Gray in an online meeting on Thursday to discuss ongoing concerns about patient safety and accountability at the hospital.

However families say no direct apology was made during the call.

Mothers Charmaine Lacock and Karen Stirrat, who say their children contracted infections at the hospital, said the absence of an apology has left them frustrated.

Karen told STV News: “There is a lot of anger. It was claimed that an apology was made, but unfortunately, that was not the case.

“To say there was an apology implies an admission that something went wrong. We have never been apologised to.

“To suggest otherwise is basically not the wholehearted truth of what happened in Thursday’s meeting.

“If there had been a real apology, we could have taken it further and built a rapport with the government. I don’t feel that is the case now.”

Charmaine said it was “disheartening” that they never received a formal apology.

“We were offered sympathy and empathy in recognition of our journey, but we were never offered an apology.

“We have been battling this for eight long years. Even though he said he recognised our journey, he simply has no idea what these families have been put through.

“We need someone to put their hands up and say, ‘The hospital isn’t what it should be, but let’s work together and make it safe,’ while helping the families who were harmed in the process.”

Scottish First Minister John Swinney STV News

Appearing on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Swinney said he had apologised to the families during the call, a claim relatives strongly dispute.

In a statement, First Minister John Swinney said he had expressed “sincere sorrow and regret” during the meeting and wants to make his apology “crystal clear.”

He said: “I expressed my sincere sorrow and regret during the long, and at times emotional, call with families. It was primarily an opportunity for them to tell me their experiences and for me to listen but I also tried to communicate to them how sorry I was about their experiences.

“I have obviously not communicated that effectively so I want to be crystal clear today: I am deeply sorry for the issues they have experienced at the QEUH and all that families have gone through. Their pain, trauma and suffering is unimaginable and I have said the conversation on Thursday was the start of a wider discussion to help families get the answers they deserve, beyond the work of the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry.”