Greater Glasgow & Clyde health board needs to do more to improve communications with families affected by the infection scandal at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, an interim report has said.

A Scottish government oversight board has published an interim report, ahead of issuing its full findings early next year, following deaths being linked to infections at the £842m flagship hospital.

A separate case-by-case review of potential incidents at a children’s ward on the campus is still underway.

The group is chaired by Chief Nursing Officer Fiona McQueen and made up of experts and representatives of patient families, the NHS and the Scottish government.

Their report says the health board should ‘pursue more active and open transparency’ by reviewing how it engaged with the families affected by the incidents.

It found that staff and patients felt they were ‘kept in the dark’ as they learnt about potential contamination issues through the media.

A range of recommendations to review national standards on infection prevention and control are included, with the report warning there is an ‘absence of national guidance in some areas’.

The oversight board was put in place by the Scottish government to assess infection prevention and control, governance at the health board and communication and engagement.

At the start of the year NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, one of the largest NHS organisations in the UK, was placed in special measures by the Health Secretary, on account of problems with finance, care and leadership, as well as management’s response to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital scandal.

Separately the Scottish government has today accepted recommendations to improve the monitoring of major NHS building projects made by an independent review.

The review found building defects at the Glasgow super-hospital had increased infection risk, but “no clear evidence” of a link to avoidable patient deaths.

A public inquiry into issues at the flagship hospital, and the Sick Kids in Edinburgh, is also underway.

Three construction firms have been accused of failing to follow specifications in 11 areas in a £73m claim.

This ongoing legal action against the builders of the hospital is leading to a reluctance to be open with families, according to the oversight board.

Its report says: ‘This has exacerbated a sense among several families that NHS GGC has not been pursuing a policy that gives primacy to transparency and sensitivity to the affected children, young people and families.’

‘While the oversight board appreciate the legal issues facing NHS GGC and the force of legal advice, it considers that alternative approaches were and are possible and that the current continuing silence on many of these issues will not address fundamental concerns on communication and engagement that gave rise to escalation to Stage 4.’

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The Interim Report from the oversight board includes clear recommendations for how QEUH can strengthen infection prevention and control and it includes important learning that can be applied to the future design and build of healthcare facilities.

“The report also has clear recommendations for how QEUH can improve its communication and engagement with affected patients and families and these recommendations will be vitally important as we plan ahead.

“Our number one priority is protecting patients and while infection prevention and control was a key issue before the pandemic, the experience of NHS Boards in dealing with covid-19 has reinforced how fundamentally important it is.”

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