THE mother of 10-year-old Milly Main who died after contracting an infection at a Glasgow hospital has called on Humza Yousaf to sack the NHS board amid a corporate homicide investigation.
Milly died in 2017 after contracting an infection at the Royal Hospital for Children’s cancer ward at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).
In a press conference on Monday, Milly’s mother Kimberly Darroch said she had been unable to “celebrate” her daughter’s life due to the ongoing trauma surrounding her death and called for the Scottish Government to step in and intervene.
The First Minister faces fresh calls to remove the chief executives of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) after it is understood the health board was named as a suspect in the criminal investigation into the deaths of a number of patients at the QEUH.
In an update to affected families, the health board said there was no indication a “final view” had been formed by prosecutors.
Speaking alongside Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar in Glasgow, Darroch made an emotional plea for the leadership to step aside, adding: “I don’t think you should be able to do the job you’re doing with this investigation ongoing. I think the Government should step in and either suspend or sack them.
“I’ve never been able to celebrate Milly’s life like I should be. Anytime I think of Milly I think of all of the pain that day caused and continues to cause.
“I would like this to come to an end sooner rather than later so that I can think of Milly and celebrate her life, the good times that we had, instead of right now. I feel that pain the day I lost her every single day because of all of this.”
Sarwar urged the Scottish Government to “do the right thing” as he told journalists failing to take action would “embolden” the leadership of the board.
Speaking to journalists following the press conference, he said: “I urge Humza Yousaf and Michael Matheson, for once in your life on this issue, do the right thing.
“Don’t allow the suspects to walk the crime scene and give us fresh leadership in this health board. You have taken us backwards in this situation.
“Humza Yousaf when he became health secretary took us backwards. And he has a choice – he can continue to stay in reverse or he can actually show some leadership for a change and remove this failing health board leadership. That is the right and only decent thing to do.”
In a statement released on Sunday, the NHSGGC health board said: “Our sympathies remain with the families who have been affected by events at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children.
“We have received a communication from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) about this update to the status of their ongoing inquiry.
“It should be made clear that this letter does not indicate that the COPFS have formed a final view.”
An NHSGGC spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the families and staff who have been affected by events at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children.
“We will continue to contribute to the ongoing police investigation, as we have done throughout.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Scotland’s Health Secretary Michael Matheson was asked whether he would be willing to step in and remove the chief executive and chairman of NHSGGC from their positions.
He said: “There’s a live police investigation taking place at the present moment into this issue and I don’t think it’d be appropriate for ministers to intervene in a way that could have an impact on that police investigation.”
He also referred to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry which is looking at the construction of the QEUH and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences (RHCYP/DCN), Edinburgh.
He said: “It’s absolutely critical that we ensure that the lessons that are learned from this are applied right across NHS Scotland so we can prevent this type of thing from happening again in the future.
“I fully appreciate that families will continue to have unanswered questions and they feel that further action needs to be taken but given both the public inquiry and police investigation are taking place just now it would be more appropriate for us to wait for the outcome of those and where they make clear recommendations particularly in the public inquiry that we make sure those recommendations are implemented.”
