The lead lawyer for the public inquiry looking into scandal-hit hospitals in Scotland has quit.
Alastair Duncan KC left his post as counsel to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry on Friday alongside fellow lawyer Victoria Arnott. The pair had been acting on behalf of the inquiry looking at the construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh.
They were responsible for interviewing and questioning witnesses during months of public hearings, with their departure coming as a surprise to the legal profession. Both were appointed in September 2020 and officials confirmed they are now looking for a replacement.
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One senior lawyer said they did not know why the pair had left but said: “It wasn’t a planned thing and that tells me it’s for a very serious reason.
“Alastair Duncan was the lead counsel and is a thorough and well-respected professional who wouldn’t just leave something so important.
“He wouldn’t have left the inquiry unless absolutely necessary and Victoria Arnott would have been loyal to him and left as well I suspect.”
The inquiry was set up after patients being treated at the £842m Glasgow site became infected with rare bacteria which some believe was linked to the QEUH’s water and air systems, although NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde denies this to be the case.
In a statement, the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry said that the two legal counsel had left their posts but refused to give a reason when asked by the Sunday Mail.
A spokeswoman referred to a statement on the inquiry website which read: “Alastair Duncan KC and Victoria Arnott have stepped down from the Inquiry’s counsel team following the completion of their work on the recent hearing on the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
“The Inquiry’s work into investigating the issues at the QEUH in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh continues to make progress and plans for future hearings will be announced in due course.”
The Sunday Mail contacted Duncan and Arnott but received no response.
