Seven key failings then boy of 3 died at super-hospital
A MOTHER has condemned the standards of hygiene and infection control at the scandal-hit superhospital where her child died.
Victoria Freeman’s three-year-old son Mason was being treated at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) – where the deaths of several patients have been linked to pigeon droppings and contaminated water.
Hospital bosses have admitted seven separate failings in the way they acted in the hours before Mason’s death in 2017.
But Ms Freeman, who was so alarmed by cleanliness on the wards that she took in bleach to disinfect Mason’s room, blames the hospital for taking inadequate measures to prevent infection.
Last week, after a public outcry over the case, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman agreed to meet Mason’s grieving mother.
Last night, Mason’s mother, of Stewarton, Ayrshire, accused the Health Secretary of ignoring her repeated pleas for help after her son’s death – and accused her of lying when challenged about the case during a radio interview.
The 31-year-old hotel manager told how she had lost all faith in the authorities. She said: ‘Do I trust the health board and Scottish Government? To be honest, I don’t.
‘For the past two years I have been standing all alone. I have been going to meetings and fighting the NHS health board myself and I feel I haven’t had the time to grieve for Mason – I won’t be able to until I have the answers he deserves.’
Mason was receiving stem cell treatment for the chronic condition Hunter’s Syndrome at the £842 million QEUH when he died suddenly on August 9, 2017.
During some of his 40-day stay in hospital, Mason was treated in the same ward as ten-year-old cancer patient Milly Main – who died in the same month after contracting an infection associated with contaminated water.
Although the cause of Mason’s death is still under investigation, his mother has shared her concerns about infection control. She said: ‘There were cleaners coming into his room sneezing. I raised that with the head of the department and there was times the doors in the isolation unit were left open.’
After Mason’s death, hospital bosses admitted a string of failings in his care. A report revealed they acknowledge handovers between staff should be reviewed and there should be more training in resuscitation and the use of monitors.
The findings note a need to look at bed space in the children’s intensive care unit and that staff needed to be reminded of the importance of manually noting information in the event monitors are not working. Ms Freeman said: ‘When I read there were seven mistakes, I was horrified. I want them to say sorry.’
Amid concerns about deaths at the QEUH, the Health Secretary has been under intense scrutiny.
In a BBC interview last month, she was asked if she knew about Mason’s death and said: ‘I didn’t.’
But Ms Freeman has accused the Minister of lying. The Scottish Mail on Sunday has seen an email she sent to the politician’s office last September – and she received a personal reply from her months later, after complaining about receiving a standard response.
Ms Freeman said: ‘It had her signature on it. However, it was another formal response and simply advised me it was inappropriate for her to get involved.
‘It was a lie when Jeane Freeman said she didn’t know about Mason.’
During their meeting last week, the Minister promised changes would be made and admitted Mason’s care was below standard.
His mother said: ‘I can’t trust the Government or health board. They admit to mistakes and faults – why not say sorry? We’ve never had a formal, proper apology.’
The Scottish Government said: ‘The Health Secretary met Ms Freeman last Thursday. Officials are working hard to get the answers to her questions.’
Jane Grant, chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: ‘We want to work with Ms Freeman to explore anything we can do to be helpful, particularly in relation to ongoing concern about contributors to Mason’s death.’
‘They admit mistakes, so why not say sorry?’