Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has urged the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry to reopen its evidence sessions and call former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Deputy First Minister John Swinney to testify about their involvement in the controversial construction and maintenance of two major Scottish hospitals.
Pressure to Open Hospitals Raised Concerns
The inquiry, which closed its evidence gathering last week, has been investigating the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh. These facilities faced serious infection issues after opening, including the tragic death of 10-year-old Milly Main. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recently admitted that pressure was applied to open the Queen Elizabeth hospital earlier than planned, which sparked a political storm.
Opposition politicians, including Sarwar, have seized on claims that government ministers, particularly Sturgeon and Swinney, exerted pressure to meet deadlines for the hospitals’ completion, despite growing concerns about patient safety. Sarwar has written to the inquiry’s chair, Lord Brodie, requesting that Sturgeon, Swinney, and former Health Secretary Shona Robison be summoned to testify. He emphasized the need for transparency in determining whether political considerations influenced the board’s decision-making.
“Any government would want to ensure major projects are completed on time and within budget,” Sarwar wrote. “But if political pressure played a role in opening these hospitals, it’s crucial that the inquiry scrutinizes this aspect of the decision-making process.”
He also raised concerns about whether the Scottish government had prior knowledge of the potential patient safety risks at the time of the hospitals’ opening. Sarwar argued that the inquiry must fully explore the government’s role in the decision-making process to uncover the complete picture of the events leading to the opening of these hospitals.
Despite not being invited to testify, Sturgeon, Swinney, and Robison are not immune from being called as witnesses, as the inquiry’s terms of reference allow former ministers to be questioned. Sarwar has underscored that the final report from the inquiry should not allow ministers to deflect blame entirely onto the health board, especially if their political involvement played a role in the decision-making process.
The inquiry has yet to comment on Sarwar’s request, and the Scottish Government has also been approached for a response. While both Sturgeon and Swinney have faced questions on the issue in public forums, they have refrained from offering detailed answers on their involvement, citing the ongoing inquiry as the reason for their silence.
