Cancer victim, 10, ‘DID die of hospital bug’
Infected water ‘to blame for Milly’s death’
A TEN-YEAR-OLd girl died of an infection during cancer treatment which was ‘probably’ caught in hospital, a report has found.
Milly Main died at Glasgow children’s hospital in August 2017 from an infection – possibly linked to contaminated water – following a stem cell transplant for leukaemia.
The findings of an investigation into the cases of 84 children who developed infections while being treated at the Royal Hospital for Children will be published next week.
The report, which has been seen by parents ahead of publication, found an infection ‘probably related to the hospital environment’ was the ‘primary cause of death’ of an unnamed cancer patient.
Milly’s mother, Kimberly darroch, believes the patient referenced is her daughter.
The authors of the Case Note Review said they recognised that some families would be disappointed that they could not have ‘greater certainty’ about the links between infections and the hospital.
Miss darroch, from Lanark, said: ‘There is nothing that can bring Milly back and a tiny part of me still hoped that the link to the water supply wasn’t true. Finally we are starting to get answers after all these years. This has been a difficult time for us, and we will need to come to terms with this as a family.’
The family has been supported by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar after he was contacted by whistleblowers in 2019. He said: ‘This has been a long and painful journey for the families involved, and my thoughts are with Kimberly and everyone who loved Milly.
‘I pay tribute to the brave NHS whistleblowers who put their jobs on the line to expose the truth.
‘The Government has a duty to support all the families affected at this sad time.’
Infections from contaminated water were also found to have been an ‘important contributory factor’ in another child’s death.
The review looked at cases involving 84 children and 118 episodes of infection. It found a third of the infections ‘probably’ originated in the hospital and the rest were ‘possibly’ acquired there.
Milly underwent a successful stem cell transplant in July 2017 and was making a good recovery when her Hickman line, a catheter used to administer drugs, became infected the following month. Milly went into toxic shock and died some days later.
Her death certificate lists an infection of the Hickman line among the possible causes of death, but her mother said the family were kept in the dark about a potential link to contaminated water.
The health board previously insisted it was impossible to determine the source of Milly’s infection because there was no requirement to test the water supply at the time.
The review was commissioned by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman as part of wider investigations into problems with the drainage and ventilation systems at the £850million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Campus, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children.
An official probe found ‘widespread contamination’ in the
‘A long and painful journey’ ‘Give families time to reflect’
water supply, with at least 23 children contracting bloodstream infections in the cancer wards in 2018.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was placed in special measures in November 2019 and in January last year two experts were appointed to oversee a review of infections.
A spokesman for the health board said: ‘Families of patients referred to in the Case Note Review have been provided an embargoed copy of the report ahead of its publication on Monday.
‘This is to allow families to reflect on its contents before it is available to the public.
‘We fully respect this and we will respond when the report is published on Monday.’