John Cuddihy has been appointed to a new body aimed at boosting public confidence in Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
John Cuddihy with daughter Molly
The dad of Molly Cuddihy, who tragically died after an infection possibly acquired at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, has been offered a key role monitoring safety there. John Cuddihy has been appointed to a new body aimed at boosting public confidence in the scandal-hit Glasgow hospital.
It comes after a cancer ward that was partially closed due to mould and dirty water ingress was put on red alert.
Molly’s death last year is being probed by prosecutors after the 23-year-old cancer patient became seriously ill with an infection potentially acquired in the children’s hospital at the £1billion QEUH in 2018.
Health Secretary Neil Gray announced last month that the Safety and Public Confidence Oversight Group would oversee work on infection control, water and ventilation systems, as well as leadership culture at the hospitals ahead of the release of the final report in the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry.
And John has now agreed to work with the Scottish Government and a range of experts to ensure meaningful action is delivered for other families, the Daily Record reports.
Molly Cuddihy (Image: Daily Record)
He said: “When I met with the First Minister one of my asks was that the patient voice had to be represented in order to ensure transparency and openness and that lived experience would be important in relation to that group.
“This isn’t just about going once a month and having a talking shop. There will be tangible outcomes we can work to.
“We will be able to start looking at those high risk areas, prioritising them and working through them.
“Molly wanted to be part of that solution and it’s what Molly would want, for me to continue to ensure those very small gains we’ve had, that we actually carry that forward and maintain the momentum. Otherwise what’s the point? What’s the point in having a public inquiry if we’re not going to take forward these recommendations?
“Nothing is ever going to bring back Molly and we’re just going to have to live with the grief of that. But this enables us, in Molly’s memory, to try in our small way to influence the direction of where we’re going and make it that bit safer for the next young person who comes in.”
The QEUH opened in 2015, days after a leaked report warned of “high risks” with the water supply.
More than 80 fell ill at the campus.
Molly, of Greenock, was 15 when diagnosed with metastatic Ewing sarcoma. She fell seriously ill at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) with a rare mycobacterium chelonae infection, requiring strong antibiotic treatment causing serious side-effects.
Chemotherapy and treatment left her organs damaged, and she sadly passed away last year.
Scotland’s independent prosecution and deaths investigation service is now probing seven deaths for potential links to the hospital environment.
NHS GGC has admitted problems with the hospital water system probably did cause infections in child cancer patients but denied it felt pressured to open too soon.
Also sitting on the new group will be Dr Christine Peters, a prominent consultant microbiologist who still works at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital but raised concerns publicly about the validation of the building.
An initial meeting of the executive group will take place next week and will involve external experts in infection prevention control.
John said: “This will allow us to get to the root cause of where we are currently with the hospital, what standards we are measuring safety against and then to collectively develop a plan that enables us to have a greater confidence in where we are, where we’re going and how we’re going to get there.
First Minister John Swinney(Image: Peter Summers/Getty Images)
“Whilst John Swinney has given his commitment, I have this commitment from Scottish Labour as well, should they get into power, that they will honour these things and move forward in exactly the same way.
“This isn’t about politics, it’s about human safety and their first duty in Government is to protect their citizens.”
John Swinney confirmed yesterday that a red alert has been issued for a QEUH ward which cares for bone marrow transplant patients.
But the SNP leader said the infection risk rating was upgraded due to “heightened public anxiety” and not because of any increased risk of harm to patients.
It comes just days after it emerged the ward had been partially closed by the hospital.
At First Minister’s Questions, Swinney told MSPs: “I want to be crystal clear with Parliament, the Government received an amber HIIAT (healthcare infection incident assessment tool) alert on February 26, last Thursday, regarding ward 4b at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
“This morning, the Government was advised that the HIIAT alert was upgraded to red.
“It is not due to any increased risk of harm to patients. It is important that I put that on the record that, fundamentally, the clinical consensus is that the wards in question are safe.”
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said Mr Swinney’s statement “reveals the inconsistency at the heart of this Government”.
He said 14 amber and red warnings were received by ministers before March 2018, when the Government first said it was made aware of issues at the QEUH.