Milly Main, 10, died after infection 'probably' linked to Glasgow hospital environment

An infection linked to the death of ten-year-old Milly Main was “probably” related to the environment at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children, a new report has confirmed.

Milly's mother has called for Glasgow health chiefs to resign after receiving the results of a case note review into Milly’s death in 2017.

The results were confirmed after a report into 84 children who developed infections at the hospital found that a third “probably” originated in the hospital, while the rest were “possibly” picked up there.

The review into Milly’s death considered a possible link to another infection that occurred ten days earlier on the same ward at the hospital, and the fact that she had been an inpatient in the same ward for almost two months before the infection’s onset.

Milly Main with her mother Kimberly Darroch

Milly had been in remission from leukaemia when her catheter became infected.

The reports conclusions cannot be certain the infection was linked to the hospital environment due to lack of evidence.

Milly’s mother Kimberly Darroch called for officials at NHS Glasgow and Clyde to resign.

“It was like grieving Milly in a whole new way, knowing her death could have been prevented,” she told the Daily Record after receiving the review results.

“I always hoped it probably wasn’t true. Deep down in my heart I knew it was, so getting it in black and white, it was a devastating read.

“I am 100 per cent certain Milly’s infection came from the water.”

Ms Darroch said she feels the health board “is not taking responsibility”. She asked that “the health board that are in place just now resign – that’s what I want and I think that’s only fair”.

Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who has supported whistleblowers in the case, said: “We can’t lose sight of the fact there were three reports which said the water supply was not safe.

“There was a report the week before the hospital opened, there was a report a year after the hospital opened, and there was a report just months before Milly tragically died.

“If the government and health board had taken the necessary action, Milly might still be alive today.

“That is what is hardest to take.

“Why did it take whistleblowers to fight the machine and put their own health and wellbeing on the line? Why did it take us having to expose this in Parliament?

"Why did it take Kimberly and her family having to fight for the last three years to get to where we got to today? It’s not acceptable.”

Jane Grant, chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “We continue to offer our sympathies to Milly Main’s family for their loss and are sorry for any additional distress caused.

“This has been a very challenging time for patients, families and staff and I am truly sorry for this. For families, children and young people, undergoing cancer treatment is already an incredibly difficult situation and I am sorry for any further upset they have experienced.

"Whilst we have taken robust and focused action to respond to issues, and at all times made the best ­judgements we could, we accept there are times when we should have done things differently."

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