There are fresh concerns at one of Britain’s biggest hospitals after a Sky News investigation discovered mould and dirty water ingress have forced the partial closure of a cancer ward – despite Scotland’s first minister insisting the scandal-hit building is safe.
Glasgow‘s £1bn Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) has been at the centre of ongoing controversy over contaminated water and ventilation system issues, possibly being linked to a number of patient deaths in the past decade.
The campus, one of Europe’s largest, opened in 2015, days after a report warned of “high risks” with the water supply.
Earlier this year, First Minister John Swinney said independent reports had given him confidence the hospital was now safe.
But Sky News understands that mould and water leaks have been identified in clinical areas within the adult bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit, which treats patients with severely weakened immune systems.
Several rooms in Ward 4B have been closed and patients moved out as a result.
The Scottish government confirmed to Sky News it was “aware of an incident”.
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Professor Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, claimed the ward “is not safe, and nobody should be saying it is”.
The expert said any form of mould “could kill” bone marrow patients and the ward “should be closing” until repairs are complete.
In 2024, a judge-led public inquiry heard evidence of “dirty water ingress and damp material” in the BMT ward, posing “a real danger to high-risk patients”.
Bone marrow transplant patients are among the most vulnerable in the NHS.
With immune systems suppressed, they rely on tightly controlled ventilation and near-sterile conditions; even common airborne fungi can pose serious risks.
Andrew Slorance, who was a Scottish government official under Nicola Sturgeon, had gone into ward 4B in October 2020 for a stem cell transplant and chemotherapy after being diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma.
The 49-year-old dad-of-five died six weeks after being admitted to the hospital – with the official cause of death listed as “Covid pneumonia”.
His widow, Louise Slorance, has told Sky News she is “absolutely shocked” to hear the latest revelations about the hospital and called it a “fatal risk”.
She said: “The fact we are 10 years after the building opened – it is relatively new – there shouldn’t be any water leaks, let alone finding mould.
“It makes the unit unsafe for patients, and it shouldn’t be a question of some rooms being shut, the unit needs to close, and we will have to transport patients south of the border to receive the lifesaving treatment they require.”
Ms Slorance said assurances by the government and NHS that the hospital is safe, alongside ongoing issues in ward 4B, mean “both cannot be true”.
She added: “We either have a Scottish government that are not informed of the current situation on 4B or they have wilfully ignored it to protect the reputation of the hospital.”
Sky News understands:
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde refused to specifically answer 10 questions posed by Sky News – but issued a statement in response.
A spokesperson said issues in the cancer 4B ward were being managed under “recognised processes” involving infection control teams. They said no patients are currently in the affected rooms, which have been sealed off as a precaution, and that additional infection prevention measures are in place.
“We are in communication with patients to ensure they are fully kept up to date,” the spokesperson concluded.
The health board declined to say how many rooms are shut or when they will reopen.
‘Shocking – it could kill’
Prof Pennington said the findings by Sky News were “shocking”.
The leading expert said: “It is shocking in the sense that water ingress, there shouldn’t be any. The system should be absolutely perfect.
“Mould could potentially infect any of the patients who are in there who are very defective or have zero immune systems, and it could kill them.
“That part of the hospital is not safe. The bone marrow transplant unit is not safe, and nobody should be saying it is, because it clearly isn’t.”
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Prof Pennington said operations in this hospital ward should be stopped.
He concluded: “We should be closing that particular ward because until we’ve got that problem resolved… then that environment is not safe.
“This is an old problem which has been going on for years, and I’m staggered that it hasn’t been resolved to a satisfactory conclusion by this time.”
Police and prosecutors are continuing a corporate homicide investigation into deaths potentially linked to the hospital environment.
While the health board had long denied any connection between infections and the building’s water and ventilation systems, it conceded earlier this year that some cases were probably linked and issued a “full and unreserved apology”.
In its latest statement, the board did not explicitly repeat previous claims that the hospital is safe.
‘Challenges linked to build quality’
The spokesman added: “Patient safety remains at the heart of everything we do, and infection prevention and control are core priorities across all our hospitals.
“Since the QEUH and RHC [Royal Hospital for Children] opened in 2015, we have faced challenges linked to the original build quality.
“The building we got was not what we paid for. We acknowledge the impact this has had on patients, families, whistleblowers and staff, and we are sorry for the distress caused.
“Where historical issues have been identified, comprehensive programmes of remediation and assurance have been undertaken.
“Safety is actively managed everyday and we continue to monitor performance, including the use of approved equipment to ensure wards remain safe for our patients.
“This includes thorough testing of the water and ventilation to provide additional safety assurance, particularly for our vulnerable patients.”
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The Scottish government and the first minister’s office were approached for comment.
It is understood the government may only have been made aware of the 4B issues after Sky News started asking questions, despite it being ongoing for some time.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and remain in direct contact with the Chief Executive and her team to understand the circumstances and ensure a swift and appropriate response.
“We have been clear with the Board that the safety of patients and staff remains our absolute priority.”
