Mould growth found in cancer ward at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

Mould growth has been found in a cancer ward at Scotland’s flagship hospital.

Health secretary Neil Gray told the Scottish Parliament that he was made aware on Thursday morning that mould growth had been found in one of the rooms on the bone marrow transplant ward at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

The discovery comes as the country’s largest hospital faces a national inquiry focusing on deaths and infections linked to its water and ventilation systems.

In response to a question on water and mould ingress issues at the hospital, Gray said it had been confirmed that a swab taken from room 85, which was closed on February 19, has shown mould growth.

The health secretary said the Scottish Government was first told of an amber alert on the ward specialising in the care of bone marrow transplant patients on February 26.

The alert was increased to red on March 5 following “significant public anxiety and media interest”, but has now returned to amber.

He added: “As colleagues would expect, I have made it clear to Greater Glasgow and Clyde that I expect their continued focus to see these issues resolved as soon as possible.”

Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher, who raised a question regarding the mould and water ingress at the hospital, added: “He (Gray) is right to say that there is media interest, but of course, the public will be concerned at the developments.

“The cabinet secretary has just outlined bone marrow transplant patients are among the most vulnerable in the NHS, and common airborne mould can cause life-threatening infections.

“Can I ask the cabinet secretary what further action the Government is taking to ensure that the wards, not the ones that you’ve mentioned, but other wards, have also been inspected for mould and water ingress?

“When will the bone marrow ward be safe for use, and, ultimately, who will be held accountable for this latest incident at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital?”

Gray advised that he had visited the hospital last week, and mitigations are being taken by clinical staff to allow the ward to still be used while some rooms are closed.

“There are rooms that are closed in order to manage safety and to take a risk-averse approach and to ensure, as Meghan Gallacher rightly says, that the risks are being managed given the immunosuppressed patients with clinically-driven mitigations in place”, he added.

“There is an oversight board in place, the incident management team has also been set up, which is receiving independent clinical assurance, the hyat is in place to ensure ongoing transparency.”

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been contacted for comment.