‘Very difficult’ to find paperwork on hospital ventilation, inquiry told

A former health board chief executive has told an inquiry it was “very difficult” to identify paperwork around a key decision on ventilation at the flagship hospital in Glasgow.

Jane Grant, who led NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde between 2017 and 2024, faced questions on ventilation issues at the hospital as she gave evidence to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry on Tuesday.

The inquiry has been examining the design and construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Children, which are on the same campus.

It was launched in the wake of deaths linked to infections, including that of ten-year-old Milly Main.

Remedial work to improve ventilation, including on a children’s cancer ward, cost millions.

A paediatric oncologist has previously told the inquiry he felt staff from the health board tried to “turn the screw” on him to change a report on infections caught by children.

Under questioning from inquiry counsel Fred Mackintosh KC, Ms Grant said in hindsight certain documents regarding the design of the hospital should have been “explicit” about changes to the ventilation system for the building.

Mr Mackintosh asked when she first became aware of ventilation systems at the QEUH not meeting the required standards. She started as the health board’s chief executive in April 2017.

Ms Grant said: “In 2017 there wasn’t a huge amount of discussion at my level.”

She recollected a discussion she had with David Loudon, former head of facilities and capital planning at the health board, on the issue of a “derogation” from the ventilation requirement.

Ms Grant said: “We had great difficulty, I had great difficulty, in establishing – ‘show me the paperwork’ and so on.

“I asked him what the issues were and he indicted the decision had been made a long time ago. I think 2009 or something like that, I can’t be 100% certain.

“It had been very difficult to find paperwork as to who had agreed what, when.

“But that was the only conversation about that.”

The inquiry was shown emails from May 2016 which discussed a “potentially serious” variation in ventilation at the hospital.

She said there was more of an emphasis on “moving forward” when the issues became apparent.

Mr Mackintosh also asked Ms Grant about a conversation she had with former clinical director Dr Penelope Redding about infection control in 2017.

Ms Grant said she did not regard this as being “whistleblowing”, telling the inquiry: “My recollection is different, she was having an off-the-record conversation with me.”

Dr Redding has previously told the inquiry that Ms Grant tried to stop her from blowing the whistle on patient safety concerns.

The inquiry, being held before Lord Brodie in Edinburgh, continues.