A public inquiry examining safety issues at two major hospitals in Scotland is getting underway.

The investigation, chaired by Lord Brodie, will look at ventilation and building issues relating to Glasgow’s flagship Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QUEH), which opened in 2015.

An independent review published in June this year concluded defects increased the risk of infection for patients.

The inquiry will also look at the building of the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh.

It has now opened its doors to patients following a year of delay, after a ventilation system failed safety checks just days before relocation was due to take place.

Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said the inquiry must not “whitewash” the role of the SNP government.

He said: “The public confidence has been shaken and it must be restored quickly. 

“In years to come, this inquiry will be viewed as a landmark moment in Scotland and it has to be done right.” 

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the inquiry was a “critical next step” in understanding the issues which affected the hospitals and stressed it was “entirely independent”.

She said it will make recommendations to ensure that “any past mistakes are not repeated” in future NHS infrastructure projects.

“I have always been clear that those who have been affected deserve answers to the many questions they are entitled to ask – and this is an important step in delivering that,” she said.

“It is a statutory Public Inquiry and this means it will have the power to require witnesses to attend and to disclose information relating to the inquiry’s work.

“It is entirely independent and its conduct, procedures and lines of enquiry are a matter for the Chair.”

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