Cancer patients ‘warned for years’ about hospital water infections

The father of a woman whose death is being investigated by prosecutors said the medical board had been “warned for years” about problems with a major hospital’s water system and now accepts it was possibly causing infections in child cancer patients.

Molly Cuddihy – who Died in August at age 23 – Became seriously ill with an infection he potentially contracted from Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow in 2018.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has consistently denied that bacteria in the water were responsible for some of the infections that led to the deaths of patients.

But inside Final submissions to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry He now conceded that “on the balance of probabilities” there was a “causal link” between some infections and the hospital environment.

Molly’s father John told BBC Scotland News the revelation was “belated recognition”.

He added: “Molly’s words and experience must continue to resonate beyond her lifetime.”

A spokesman for NHSGGC said it supported the investigation, while the Scottish government said it would be “inappropriate to comment”.

An investigation has been launched to examine Mistakes made in the planning, design and construction of the QEUH campus following concerns about unusual infections and the deaths of four patients.

Among them was 10-year-old Milly Main, who died in 2017 after contracting the stenotrophomonas bacteria while being treated for leukemia.

a separate corporate murder investigation The investigation into the deaths of Milly, two other children and 73-year-old Gail Armstrong was launched in 2021.

And last year, prosecutors opened an investigation into Molly’s death after a tip from a counselor.

Molly, from Gourock, Inverclyde, was 15 when she was diagnosed with metastatic disease. Ewing sarcoma.

In 2024, he told BBC Scotland News how he realized something was wrong. The radiographer started crying. during scanning.

Cuddihy said concerns about water supply were first raised in 2018, the same year Molly contracted septic shock while being treated for cancer at QEUH.

Police Scotland’s former organized crime and counter-terrorism chief said all his daughter wanted was official recognition that there was a problem with the hospital’s water system.

Cuddihy added: “The sad thing is that Molly is in her grave and can never read those words or hear them say them.”

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry will hear oral submissions this week and Cuddihy hopes patients will be at the center of the proceedings.

She said: “What I want to push forward is for Molly’s voice and the voices of other children to affect real change.”

This will include annual, verified checks of hospital ventilation and water systems, Cuddihy said.

Molly’s treatment and chemotherapy for hospital-acquired infections in 2018 and 2019 caused her irreparable liver damage.

He also had to undergo a kidney transplant in November 2024.

Taken together, this meant that Molly’s treatment options after her last admission to hospital last July were limited.

Cuddihy said: “The trauma continued long after the cancer was gone.

“Because the antibiotics that were to be given to leprosy patients were so strong and given over a long period of time, their reduced kidney function, liver function had a significant impact on their overall body and life experience.

“His quality of life has diminished and this has had a devastating impact on him.

“I have no doubt that Molly’s quality of life has worsened because of the bacteria. I have absolutely no doubt.”

A visibly emotional Cuddihy added: “If Molly had just had cancer, and I say just had to deal with cancer, it would have been hard enough, but maybe Molly would have been here.”

“And that’s a hard thing to accept. We’ll never know.”

in 2022 Molly gave evidence Before Scottish Hospitals’ investigation into his experiences at the QEUH while undergoing chemotherapy as a teenager.

The investigation is also investigating problems at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh.

Molly told the inquest how she became seriously ill in the summer of 2018 after contracting an infection from the intravenous line used to give her medication.

Cuddihy said he was disappointed his daughter’s name was not mentioned in the medical board’s presentation and that it was vital that victims were included in the outcome of the investigation.

He also hopes the health board’s adoption will be “a turning point in culture, governance and accountability across NHS Scotland”.

Cuddihy said: “Nothing can bring Molly back.

“Our hope now is that his testimony, his suffering, and his courage will ensure that no other young person and no other family will ever have to endure what he did.”

At the conclusion of the investigation, NHSGGC said it was “generally accepted” that “there is no definitive link between the infections and the water system”.

However, it was stated that it was “highly likely” that some infections experienced by patients were linked to the hospital’s water supply.

They said: “The NHSGGC accepts that, on the balance of probabilities, there is a causal link between some infections suffered by patients and the hospital environment, in particular the water system.”

Asked about the closing statement, an NHSGGC spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to supporting the inquiry in their investigation.”

A Scottish government spokesman said: “We have launched a statutory public inquiry so that families can get answers to their questions and lessons can be learned for future hospital projects.

“As an independent core participant in the Inquiry, the Scottish Government is committed to assisting the Inquiry and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

Milly Main underwent a successful stem cell transplant in July 2017 while recovering from leukemia.

The Hickman line, a catheter used to deliver medication, later became infected.

Milly’s condition worsened and she went into toxic shock. He passed away on August 31, 2017.

His mother, Kimberly Darroch, welcomed NHSGGC’s acceptance but said it should have come much sooner for concerned families.

Darroch told BBC Scotland News: “As a mother, I have spent six years fighting for the answers that should have been given from the very beginning.

“It is good news that the medical board has accepted that, on the balance of probabilities, there is a causal link between the environment and Milly’s bloodstream infection.

“This admission is a significant milestone for our family, but it also highlights how hard families have had to fight for the truth to be recognised.”

In 2024, the hospital’s former infection control doctor told the inquiry there was no direct evidence linking the infections to the building.

Patrick McGuire, senior partner at Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, represents many of the families affected.

He accused the medical board of “callous evasiveness and dishonesty”.

The lawyer added: “The families have now been cleared, but only after years of being humiliated and dismissed by the medical board.”

Opposition politicians said the Scottish government had questions to answer.

Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar said: “The QEUH scandal is one of the worst failures in modern Scottish public life.

“Since the hospital opened, there have been a number of serious problems: concerns about water safety, environmental risks, management errors and infections that have devastated families.”

Sarwar said families had to “fight for the truth” about what happened to their children, adding that the medical board’s admission “must be a turning point”.

Scottish Conservative Party health spokesman Dr. Sandesh Gulhane said there was evidence of a “cover-up at the highest level”.

He said: “There is now a significant body of evidence, only revealed by this investigation, that points to a cover-up by those at the top.

“Milly Main, Molly Cuddihy and many other families have waited years for clear answers from those responsible.

“These are now taken out rather than freely given.”