News

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry will hold the first of its public hearings in September 2021 where it plans to hear from affected patients and families.

The hearings are scheduled to start on 20 September and planned to last around three weeks. They will be an opportunity for those who have been affected by issues at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Campus, Glasgow, and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Edinburgh to share their experiences.

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry will look into issues such as ventilation, water contamination and other matters and consider how they could have been prevented. It will examine how these issues not only impacted on patients and their families, but also whether the buildings provided a suitable environment for the delivery of safe and effective care.

Lord Brodie, Chair of the Inquiry, said: “The first priority of the Inquiry is to understand the experiences of affected patients and their families and this evidence will be crucial. As such, it is the focus of our first series of hearings this autumn.”

We want to hear from anyone who may have been affected or has information relevant to the Inquiry. You can contact the Inquiry’s dedicated phone line on 0808 196 5000 to speak with one or our team members, or email us on: public@hospitalsinquiry.scot.

Leading us towards the September hearings are a number of steps:

1. A virtual meeting hosted by Lord Brodie in March to set out the Inquiry’s priorities, explaining its various stages and updating on progress so far. Further information on this will be available on our website in the coming weeks.

2. Members of the Inquiry team to speak with affected patients and families to capture their experiences.

3. The Inquiry team to work with affected patients and families to formalise their statements if they are asked to do so.

4. A procedural hearing will be held in June, where Lord Brodie will set out the details of how the autumn hearings will operate.