Parents of Milly demand inquiry into hospital death
THE mother of a girl who died of an infection at Scotland’s superhospital yesterday spoke of her ‘soul destroying’ fight for answers.
Kimberly Darroch said she was forced to relive the pain of Milly Main’s death every day as she was unable to move on without knowing the truth.
She is now demanding a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) is held into the circumstances of Milly’s death.
The tenyearold died in August 2017 after contracting an infection caused by contaminated water at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow. Milly had beaten cancer and was finishing her treatment when she died.
Miss Darroch, 35, has accused NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) of lying over the cause of Milly’s death.
The QEUH has faced a number of scandals since opening in 2015. An official investigation at the hospital found ‘widespread contamination’ in the water supply, with 23 children contracting bloodstream infections in cancer wards in 2018.
Last year, a whistleblower alleged that a doctorled probe uncovered another 26 cases of infection from 2017, linking the death of one child to contamination. The family of the child were not told of the link.
Miss Darroch came forward last year to reveal it was her daughter, Milly, who had contracted the infection, which was listed on her death certificate. Miss Darroch and Milly’s father, Neil Main, have written to Lord Advocate James Wolffe seeking a review. Their daughter’s death has also been referred to the procurator fiscal.
Speaking at the Scottish parliament yesterday, Miss Darroch said: ‘I want the truth about how my daughter died and why we weren’t told at the time. The only option, or we feel the only option, we have is to go for a fatal accident inquiry.
‘They have had every opportunity to come forward with the truth and they haven’t. It’s soul destroying having to go through all this. Milly died three years ago in August but we’re having to relive the pain every day of not knowing the truth.’
In the letter to the Lord Advocate, Miss Darroch and Mr Neil said they ‘have no trust or faith in anything they are told by the health board’.
Miss Darroch said she has not met any officials from NHSGGC despite being offered meetings. She said: ‘If they’re not going to tell the truth – they’re going to lie to my face – so I’d rather not, to be honest.’
At First Minister’s Questions, Anas Sarwar asked Nicola Sturgeon if she would support an FAI into Milly’s death.
Miss Sturgeon said the family’s treatment had been ‘completely unacceptable’. But, Miss Sturgeon added all decisions on FAIs are ‘entirely for the law officers, not the government’.
Labour MSP Mr Sarwar said it was important a ‘specific inquiry or investigation’ into Milly’s death is held to stop other families suffering.
NHSGGC chief executive Jane Grant said: ‘We want to do anything we can to answer her questions. We remain keen to meet Miss Darroch to discuss these results in more detail.’
‘They had every opportunity’