Milly Main's parents demand FAI after 10 year old's death at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
Kimberly Darroch and Neil Mail, from Lanark, have written to the Lord Advocate telling him they have lost all faith in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Last updated 17th Jan 2020
The parents of 10 year old Milly Main who died from an infection at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital are demanding a fatal accident inquiry.
Kimberly Darroch and Neil Mail, from Lanark, have written to the Lord Advocate telling him they have lost all faith in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and believe their 10 year old daughter would still be alive if they had listenned to warnings about the risk of infection from the water supply.
Milly had leukaemia from the age of five, but was in remission before contracting an infection at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in 2017.
They have instructed solicitors and a letter has been sent to the Lord Advocate, arguing that ‘the circumstances of Milly’s death gives rise to many questions of significant concern as to how she came to be infected while being treated at a children’s cancer ward’.
Milly died in August 2017, with her death certificate listing a Stenotrophomonas infection of the Hickman line as a cause of death.
Kimberly Darroch said: “It has been incredibly painful for us to relive Milly’s death, with bits of information slowly being fed to us thanks only to the work of brave NHS whistleblowers, Anas Sarwar and the media.
“The health board has let us down at every step of the way and kept us in the dark.
“We believe Milly would still be alive today if the managers had listened to all the warnings of infection risk when the QEUH first opened. We have lost all faith in the health board and its leadership
“As a family we have had to consider all options so that we can get answers about Milly’s death, and so that no family has to go through this ordeal again.
“We are calling for a fatal accident inquiry to uncover the truth.”
The letter sent by their solicitors states: “There is already intense public and media interest in the circumstances surrounding Milly’s death. The media demand to know the full circumstances; and the public deserve to know all of the facts in order that they can be assured that every possible lesson has been learned from this tragedy and that their children are safe to receive treatment at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus.
“For Milly’s parents there is a more fundamental point to consider. It is almost three years since they lost their daughter and they have been denied the basic human dignity of being able to grieve the loss of their child because they still do not know what really happened or why.
“They cannot understand how they lost their child and as such their life is anchored to the past. They will not be able to grieve and move on (as best anyone can in such circumstances) until they have the truth.
“To date, they have only been drip fed some information from the health board. This is not good enough and is a far cry from a full and independent inquiry that seeks to uncover the full facts and circumstances.
“The need for an independent inquiry into the death of Milly is particularly important. There is clear evidence that the health board did not follow established and necessary protocols and procedures by failing to report Milly’s death to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. In short, the family have no trust or faith in anything that they are told by the health board.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde responded with a statement saying death of any child is a tragedy and they continue to offer our sympathies to Milly’s family for their loss.
It states they have previously written to Milly’s mother to answer some of her questions and would welcome any further questions she may have.
Jane Grant, Chief Executive, said: “I am truly sorry for the distress and pain being caused to Milly’s family as they continue to grieve for their daughter.
“Milly’s family deserves answers. We owe it to them to thoroughly and fully re-examine the investigations that took place in 2017 and again last year.
“We want to do anything we can to answer her questions. We have written to her and remain keen to meet Ms Darroch to discuss these results in more detail with her.”
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