Staff were scared to raise concerns over patients, whistleblower tells inquiry
Dr Penelope Redding worked as an infection control doctor and was involved in planning for the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A whistleblower who raised concerns about infection control at a superhospital said staff were terrified due to a āculture of bullyingā, the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry has heard.
The inquiry is investigating the construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus in Glasgow, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children.
It was launched in the wake of deaths linked to infections, including that of 10-year-old Milly Main.
Dr Penelope Redding worked as an infection control doctor until 2008 and was involved in the preliminary planning for the QEUH, which opened in 2015, and acted as a whistleblower before she stepped down as a consultant microbiologist in 2018.
The former clinical director for diagnostics at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) told the inquiry her opinion was sought at QEUH after it opened, amid concerns it had āthree air changes per hourā ā rather than six ā and that she urged for expert advice to be sought.
Dr Redding said she believed āproblemsā began after the Vale of Leven Hospital inquiry report in 2014, which addressed outbreaks of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) in the Vale of Leven Hospital in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, in 2007.
She said: āThere were a lot of occasions concerns had been raised but the reports were never really shared.ā
She cited changes to management structures as a result of the report and said she believed in āteamworkā, and was concerned that infection control nurses may be making āautonomousā decisions without having sufficient expertise, the inquiry heard.
Dr Redding criticised āa culture of not putting things in writing, in emails, not putting things in minutes, an atmosphere of intimidation and bullyingā within the NHS, and said she felt able to support staff due to her own experience of management, and as she was approaching retirement.
She said ventilation concerns had been raised when the QEUH opened, but she could not recall water infection being discussed in 2016.
In September 2017, she emailed from a holiday in Vienna, to call for an urgent meeting ā which was arranged at 8am during her annual leave, the inquiry heard.
She agreed that her attitude was to āslavishly follow the guidelinesā, and said: āWhy would you deviate from the guidelines?ā
Giving evidence, she was critical of a decision to close an orthopaedics ward after the Vale of Leven report, and said it took ā45 secondsā to establish there was no āoutbreakā based on her experiences as a microbiologist by looking at test results.
She said it was āridiculousā that doctors were saying they were ātoo scaredā to work and called for a ācommon senseā approach.
Dr Redding said: āFor me, it was quite simple that it was not an outbreak. I donāt know if a microbiologist didnāt sit down or look at results. My feeling is that infection control is moving towards autonomous working and decisions are being made without infection control doctors.
āThere are certain times you need to have input with microbiologists.ā
She added: āWards had been shut, patients werenāt allowed to go home, which was ridiculous; doctors were saying they were too scared to go on the wards, which again is ridiculous. I said, āthis isnāt an outbreakā.ā
She said there was a āculture of bullyingā within the NHS trust, and condemned working practices ā alleging meetings were held with instructions that no minutes should be taken, and that she urged staff to put concerns in writing so there was a record.
Dr Redding said: āMy view was that if youāve not put it in writing, if anything arises in the future, people will deny that they have been told. You have a responsibility to patients ā you take an oath that if you have any concerns harm could come to patients, you have a duty to record it.ā
She told the inquiry āpersonal bullyingā ā including shouting and criticisms ā meant āpeople were terrified of speaking upā, and would be āchallengedā.
Counsel for the inquiry, Fred Mackintosh, said: āSome of the people doing things you didnāt approve of would have been younger than you?ā
Dr Redding said: āIt was a culture of bullying. Right from the top, all the way down.ā
Mr Mackintosh said: āYouāre saying that in a public inquiry. Why should we accept that this is something you have seen?ā
Dr Redding said: āI ended up being involved because people were afraid to speak up. The whistleblowers were very much criticised. People forget what we were doing was not expressing just our own views, but views of very senior, experienced colleagues.
āIn the end, whistleblowers were very careful about not mentioning peopleās names. We only put forward information which we had evidence to support. We felt from our credibility point of view, we wanted to be sure what we said was supported by evidence.ā
She said that she called for an external expert to be brought in, and that a document from 2015, titled Informal Review of Infection Control Issues, was never shared with her.
Dr Redding said: āThere were a lot of occasions concerns had been raised but the reports were never really shared.ā
Mr Mackintosh said: āShould there be another way which doesnāt rely on the serendipity of a senior former manager being willing to listen and pass on messages?ā
Dr Redding said: āThese people would have been reporting through their management structure. I had to be sure all that was being done.ā
Dr Redding said she was accused of āharassmentā due to sending emails.
She told the inquiry: āWe tried to get information, we said there were new problems, asked what is happening. I was accused of harassing people for sending emails.ā
She said that ārepeated concernsā were raised by microbiologists and doctors in 2017 but ānothing seemed to be improvingā.
In February 2018, āstep twoā of the whistleblowing process was launched, and Dr Redding wrote in an email, āthe situation is actually getting worseā.
She told the inquiry a 27-point action plan had errors and inaccuracies in it.
Dr Redding said: āWe were still raising problems. It says in one of my emails, āthe situation is actually getting worseā. I can understand why you would want to āgive us a chance to sort it outā but thereās no evidence that is happening.
āThere were errors in the action plan and inaccuracies in the action plan. We never saw any amendments. I would have thought it would be a sensible thing to do to meet with us and say, āhereās the minutes, hereās the action planā.ā
She met then-shadow health secretary, Anas Sarwar, to raise concerns that the ventilation did not meet the guidelines, and also met Health Secretary Jeane Freeman who set up the inquiry.
Mr Mackintosh said: āHow do you respond to one of the submissions from NHS that going public meant, āfalse allegations against colleagues and the health board and publicising inaccurate informationā?ā
Dr Redding said: āI donāt believe we did anything we didnāt believe was true.ā
The inquiry continues in front of Lord Brodie in Edinburgh.