Seriously ill babies moved after leak found in hospital roof

Seriously ill babies have been moved from the neonatal unit at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hosital (QUEH) after a leak was found in the roof.

Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit have been moved to other areas in the building or the Royal Hospital for Children.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde apologised to families for any distress after water got into several rooms in the unit.

It said it was working to “minimise any impact on patient care” but said it could not put a timescale on how long it would take to repair the damage.

The leak was discovered during scheduled maintenance at the neonatal department, which has capacity to care for 40 babies.

The unit looks after babies from across Scotland with a range of conditions, including those with surgical conditions or heart and airway problems.

It also is one of the few centres in the UK that can provide ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) life support for babies.

An NHS Greater Glasgow spokesperson said: “Progress of work is being kept under daily review, and we will update parents and staff as soon as a completion date is confirmed.

“We would like to make clear this is not linked to any infection control issue, nor is it linked to the water supply at the hospital.”

The health board said the move has had some impact on capacity, but that it continues to play its full part as one of Scotland’s national specialist care centres.

The neonatal was built in 2009, predating the main QEUH building and the Royal Hospital for Children which opened in 2015.

Both the QEUH and Royal Hospital for Children are being scrutinised by the Scottish Hospitals inquiry over whether the design, construction and maintenance of the buildings affected patent safety.