A specialist cancer ward at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital may be rebuilt over contamination fears despite only opening in 2015.
14:48, 16 Mar 2026Updated 16:57, 16 Mar 2026
Anas Sarwar has campaigned alongside Kimberley Darroch, the mother of Milly Main(Image: Getty Images)
Anas Sarwar has demanded any wards at Scotland’s £1 billion super hospital which may risk patient safety to be closed immediately.
The Scottish Labour leader spoke out following reports that health bosses want to build a replacement unit for seriously ill cancer patients at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow over mould fears – despite the building being just over 10 years old.
A fifth of the rooms in the bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit at the health campus have been shut at some point in the last six months due to water ingress and mould concerns.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is calling on the SNP Government for “significant” investment to build an entirely new BMT unit.
The board said it is planning the move due to “infrastructure defects” and an increase in room closures in recent weeks.
Sarwar today called for “full transparency” on the issue and repeated his call for up-to-date patient safety reviews for every ward at the super hospital to be made public.
Safety fears at the QEUH are at the centre of an on-going public inquiry which is due to report by the end of the year. The probe was ordered in 2020 into the design and construction of the hospitals launched after deaths linked to infections in the water supply and ventilation system.
These included 10-year-old Milly Main, who died in August 2017 after contracting an infection as she recovered from leukaemia treatment and 23-year-old Molly Cuddihy, who died last August after giving evidence at the inquiry.
First Minister John Swinney and Health Secretary Neil Gray have repeatedly given assurances that the QEUH is safe.
Asked by the Record about plans to build a replacement ward, Sarwar said: “I’ve always said that patient safety has to come first. One of the biggest challenges we’ve had since the hospital opened is politics or reputation taking priority – whether that is individual ministers or managers at the health board.
“I’ve been saying for a very long time is the approach I would take is one of patient safety first. And if that means wards have to temporarily close while we fix them, I’ll do it. If it means having to build a separate site in order to support immunocompromised patients, who are at highest risk of infection, then I’ll do it.
“What I’m not willing to do, is have a repeat of what happened tragically in Milly Main’s case, or in lots of other cases.”
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The QEUH has been criticised over the death of Milly Main, 10
Sarwar added: “We still don’t have full transparency. We still don’t know which wards have been validated and which have not. That must be made public.
“And if any ward is a risk to patients because of the environment, it should not be open.”
Sarwar previously challenged the SNP Government to “publish, in full, the validation [patient safety review] of every ward and every unit in the QEUH campus”.
The Scottish Labour leader has long campaigned for answers for families who believe their loved ones’ deaths were caused by infection issues at the QEUH.
The health board admitted in January in a written statement to the inquiry that “pressure” was placed on NHS bosses to open the super hospital in 2015 before it was ready to do so.
Swinney and former first minister Nicola Sturgeon have repeatedly denied placing political pressure on the health board to ensure the QEUH was open in time for the general election in May 2015.
Neil Gray, the Health Secretary, said: “We are supportive of the board’s intention to bring forward a business case for a new adult Bone Marrow Transplant Unit and will work with them as this develops to ensure patient safety and high-quality service are at the forefront of the proposal.
“It is reassuring that NHS GGC have proactively approached Antimicrobial Resistance & Healthcare Associated Infection Scotland, and NHS Scotland Assure colleagues, for support with an options appraisal around the BMT unit as a precautionary measure.”
A spokesperson for NHS GCC said: “This project will take significant time and investment. However, we are now commencing this important work.
“In the meantime, we continue to assess and take actions as necessary to maintain this vital national service. Our approach and decisions are proactive in putting patient safety first.
“Our new Safety and Public Confidence Oversight Group provides an additional layer of assurance, and we will work closely and openly with our key stakeholders, discussing issues including a number of external voices to enhance public confidence in our services.”
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