High Court judge appointed to head public inquiry into Edinburgh's Sick Kids hospital and Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth hospital

Lord Brodie will chair the public inquiry into the troubled hospitals

A HIGH Court judge has been appointed to lead the public inquiry into what went wrong at Edinburgh's new Sick Kids hospital and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

Lord Brodie will chair the inquiry which Health Secretary Jeane Freeman announced in September following issues at both hospitals.

The Scottish Government said the inquiry would examine how serious problems relating to key building systems and infrastructure occurred, and what steps can be taken to prevent these in future projects.

The opening of Edinburgh's new Sick Kids hospital in July was called off at the last minute after it was found the ventilation in critical care did not meet standards

Announcing Lord Brodie's appointment today, Ms Freeman said she intended to meet him before the end of the year to discuss the terms of reference and timescales for the inquiry and would report to the Scottish Parliament in the new year.

She said: “I announced this independent public inquiry following concerns, including from parents and families, over the quality of our NHS major infrastructure, its safety and compliance with standards and the impact that has on the delivery of healthcare to patients.

"This is crucial work and I am pleased that a person of Lord Brodie’s stature and legal standing will lead this important inquiry.

“The safety of patients and their families will always be my top priority – they must have the right support and information to give them confidence that they are receiving the best care possible from our NHS. This inquiry and its recommendations will help us learn lessons from recent issues so they are not repeated in the future.

“I have a statutory obligation to consult with the chair on the inquiry’s terms of reference, and I also intend to share these with patients and families. I will provide a further update to Parliament early in the new year.”

A separate Independent review into the QEUH led by Dr Andrew Fraser and Dr Brian Montgomery is currently gathering evidence, with a view to publishing its findings in spring 2020.

Lord Brodie is the son of the late Very Rev Dr Peter Brodie, a former Moderator of the Church of Scotland's General Assembly. He studied law at Edinburgh University and the University of Virginia in the United States. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1976 and became a QC in 1987.

From 1997 to 1999, he served as an Advocate Depute, representing the Crown in prosecutions in the High Court. He was appointed a judge in 2002.