Doctor who raised fears over hospital bugs branded ‘hysterical’

A WHISTLEBLOWING doctor who raised concerns about infection risks at Scotland’s superhospital says she was dismissed as ‘hysterical’ and ‘bonkers’ by colleagues.

Dr Christine Peters, clinical lead for microbiology at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, was working as an infection control doctor there when it opened in 2015.

Speaking publicly for the first time, she said requests for infection control information about the systems were either ignored or rejected.

She said: ‘When I started, I had raised some issues in writing and I was phoned by a more senior person to say to me, “you’re new to Glasgow but here we don’t put things in writing because of inquiries and things”.’

Dr Peters, pictured, said she asked for details of water safety and the ventilator specifications.

She added: ‘When the doors opened I still didn’t have an understanding of what the ventilation strategy was or what the sign-off and commissioning had been for the building or any area of the building.’

She was also unsuccessful in attempts to examine the legally-required water risk assessments. But when she raised concerns, she said: ‘There were words used, things like hysterical, bonkers, over-vigilance. That sort of terminology was used around this issue, which was pretty difficult to deal with.’ Dr Peters’ comments were broadcast last night on Disclosure: The Secrets of Scotland’s Superhospital on BBC One Scotland. The family of a woman who died after contracting an infection at the QEUH told the programme that they are worried the truth will never come out about how she caught the bug. Gail Armstrong, 73, from Glasgow, had been treated for blood cancer before she died in January last year. In the weeks before her death, she contracted the fungal infection Cryptococcus. A ten-year-old boy had died weeks earlier after being infected with the same bug. Pigeon droppings in a plant room on the 12th floor in the hospital was at first thought to be the source. An independent review said there was ‘not a sound evidential basis’ on which to make a link between the infections and the presence of pigeon droppings at the hospital. Mrs Armstrong’s daughter Beth said the family had lost trust that officials would be open about the cause of her death. A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: ‘Various allegations made to this programme have been investigated independently... and have not been substantiated.’

‘Pretty difficult to deal with’