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Coming up next in the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry: May Hearings Commence

United KingdomScotland
09/05/2022
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9 May 2022 marks the start of the next key stage in the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry: the commencement of the diet of hearings that will cover the two broad themes of (1) the theory and practice of ventilation in hospitals; and (2) the background to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People / Department of Clinical Neuroscience Project. The Inquiry will hear from experts, including Dr Shaun Fitzgerald and Professor Hilary Humphreys, who are expected to cover issues such as the technical requirements for a hospital ventilation system and the role that ventilation plays in patient care and safety.

Background

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, chaired by Lord Brodie QC, was launched in August 2020 due to public concern regarding the built environment of the following 2 Scottish hospitals and its potential impact on patient safety and wellbeing:

  • The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Campus, Glasgow (QEUH); and
  • The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Edinburgh (RHCYP/DCN)

The key aims of the Inquiry are as follows:

  • To investigate issues arising from the planning, design, construction, commissioning and, where appropriate, the maintenance of the QEUH and the RHCYP/DCN.
  • To determine how issues relating to ventilation and water contamination in particular impacted on patient safety and care, and if these issues could have been prevented.
  • Make recommendations ‘to ensure that any past mistakes are not repeated in future NHS infrastructure projects’.

Timeline of events to date:

Next steps

The May Hearing will run for two weeks and can be followed either live or in person. The issues to be covered are relevant to both the QEUH and the RHCYP/DCN and set out in further detail here.

The Inquiry intends to look at the procurement phase of the RHCYP/DCN in October 2022; and at issues relevant to the QEUH in November 2022 and will be followed with interest by the healthcare sector. Further details are to be provided in due course.

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