The Scottish Government has been accused of making “repeated mistakes”, with ventilation and water issues at a flagship Glasgow hospital also happening at health facilities around Scotland.
During First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood on Thursday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said problems highlighted at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) have been repeated at now-delayed hospitals in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The QEUH, one of the largest hospitals in the UK, is subject to a national inquiry amid deaths and infections linked to its water and ventilation systems.
Health Secretary Neil Gray told Parliament last week that mould growth had recently been found in one of the rooms on the bone marrow transplant ward at the QEUH.
Mr Sarwar told MSPs: “More than a decade ago, the SNP Government opened a hospital in Glasgow that was not safe because of ventilation issues and water safety.
“Four years later in Edinburgh, the opening of the sick kids hospital was delayed because of ventilation and water issues.
“Now in Aberdeen, it’s emerged that the new Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre are delayed, again because of ventilation issues and water safety.
“Three hospitals in three cities which sum up the mess the SNP have made of running our country.
“At the core of all of this is the lie and the cover-up at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
The SNP is lying about Scotland’s NHS. pic.twitter.com/OyhDKWQZ2K
— Scottish Labour (@ScottishLabour) March 19, 2026
“Had they told the truth then and confronted the problems, then the mistakes would not have been repeated.
“Instead, that lie has cost the public purse millions and meant delayed and defective hospitals.
“Tragically, that lie has cost lives. Why was that lie more important to John Swinney than patient safety?”
The opening of the Edinburgh hospital was delayed after the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry found NHS Lothian failed to give clear ventilation requirements for the building.
It was found human error in a spreadsheet meant air changes in critical care wards were designed at half the recommended safety standards.
The Baird Family Hospital in Aberdeen was originally planned to open in 2020, but building work was delayed until 2021.
NHS Grampian has now said it is expected the Baird will not be operational until early 2027.
It has been reported the build has run into a host of problems – including around ventilation and its water system.
First Minister John Swinney told Mr Sarwar there was “no cover-up”, and the Scottish Government took caution with the other hospitals after issues arose at the QEUH.
He said: “Mr Sarwar’s language is the language of a desperate man, and he should think twice about the language that he uses in this Parliament, because in a climate where we need to undertake respectful debate, there is nothing respectful about the language that Mr Sarwar has used.
“I’m going to walk my way through these different issues, because it is important I give Parliament and the public a clear answer on this question.
“There were issues that arose from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital that resulted in the Scottish Government commissioning a public inquiry that is still sitting looking at those issues, and we await the findings of (inquiry chairman) Lord Brodie.
“Because of the issues that emerged at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, my late colleague (former health secretary) Jeane Freeman stopped the opening of the children’s hospital in Edinburgh because she was concerned about safety issues.
“There was no cover-up. There was no ignoring the reality. Jeane Freeman took a decision not to open the children’s hospital in Edinburgh for the very reasons of responding to the issues about the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
“The Baird and Anchor in Aberdeen are delayed because of that same cautionary approach taken in Edinburgh is being taken in the Baird and Anchor, that is because this Government takes the issue of patient safety seriously, and it always will under my leadership.”
NHS Grampian chief executive Laura Skaife-Knight said: “I’d like to apologise to the public and our staff that these buildings have taken longer to complete than we’d have liked. It is vital that we make sure these new facilities are suitable for our patients and staff for the future generations for decades to come.
“Ongoing physical alterations have been informed by ongoing national infection prevention and control work and lessons learned from the ongoing Scottish Hospitals Inquiry.
“We shared an update at our February and March 2026 public board meetings in the spirit of openness and transparency and will continue to ensure regular progress updates are published.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian have been approached for comment.
