WATCH: Scottish Hospitals Inquiry begins

The man investigating safety concerns surrounding Edinburgh and Glasgow's newest hospitals says his inquiry "will not be susceptible to political pressure."

Lord Brodie is looking into ventilation and water contamination issues at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where patients died after outbreaks of infection.

Concerns were brought to light over possible water contamination in the QEUH and the risk of infections last year, with a report published in June saying that cancer patients were put at a higher risk of infection due to the design and maintenance of the building.

However, no avoidable deaths were said to have taken place, according to the review.

On Sunday, the mother of a 10-year-old girl who died at the QEUH after contracting an infection said the inquiry must provide answers for families.

Kimberly Darroch believes that her daughter, Milly Main, died because of contaminated water at the £842 million hospital.

She said: "Having been let down by the health board, we hope the public inquiry will uncover the truth about what happened at the hospital - not just for us but for all the families affected, and to ensure no other family ever has to go through what we went through."

Lord Brodie's probe is also reviewing construction problems which led to the delayed opening of the new Sick Kids hospital in the Scottish capital, just days before it was due to open its doors last year.

"I will not be , in any way, susceptible to political pressure" - LORD BRODIE QC

Speaking to our senior reporter Bryan Rutherford, Lord Brodie told us: "I will not be , in any way, susceptible to political pressure.

"If the recommendations of the inquiry are to have value, the public must be confident that they are the product of an entirely independent process.

"If the inquiry requires documents, it can require these documents to be produced, and if the inquiry wants to hear from a witness we can call upon the assistance of the court to compel attendance.

"We want to hear from those people who have been affected by the issues which have given rise to public concern, and those who feel they have a contribution to make."

"those who have been affected deserve answers to the many questions they are entitled to ask" - HEALTH SECRETARY JEANE FREEMAN

Commenting on the launch of the public inquiry, in a statement, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: "The Inquiry is a critical next step in seeking to understand the issues that affected both the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus site in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences site in Edinburgh.

"It will also make recommendations to ensure that any past mistakes are not repeated in future NHS infrastructure projects.

"The Inquiry’s Remit and Terms of Reference are detailed and comprehensive and I was pleased to have had the opportunity to consult with Lord Brodie, party spokespeople, and patients and families during the drafting process.

"I have always been clear that those who have been affected deserve answers to the many questions they are entitled to ask – and this is an important step in delivering that.

"It is a statutory Public Inquiry and this means it will have the power to require witnesses to attend and to disclose information relating to the Inquiry’s work. It is entirely independent and its conduct, procedures and lines of enquiry are a matter for the Chair."

"The public confidence has been shaken and it must be restored quickly" - SHADOW HEALTH SECRETARY MILES BRIGGS

Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs added: "Lord Brodie has a wide-ranging remit to take as much evidence as he feels necessary, and the parents have been promised they will be satisfied by the scope of the inquiry.

"For their sake, and those of parents across Scotland, this inquiry cannot whitewash the role of the SNP government and successive Scottish health secretaries.

"Experts and parents have already expressed forceful concerns about what has happened at QEUH and also the Sick Kids construction project — itself an awful saga more than a decade long.

"The public confidence has been shaken and it must be restored quickly.

"In years to come, this inquiry will be viewed as a landmark moment in Scotland and it has to be done right."