Who made the final decision about new glsgow hospital site
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Executive summary
Available reporting and public documents show that decisions about the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus sit within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) governance and were scrutinised by the Scottish hospitals inquiry; NHSGGC executives including its chief executive and board chair have been central to decision-making, while Scottish Government ministers and the inquiry chair Lord Brodie have overseen scrutiny [1] [2] [3]. The inquiry is explicitly examining who made key decisions about the QEUH campus and the evidence trail, and NHSGGC has acknowledged gaps in paperwork and governance that the inquiry is probing [1] [4] [2].
1. Who ultimately decided the new Glasgow hospital site — the formal governance picture
Responsibility for decisions about the QEUH campus rests with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as the statutory health board; the hospitals inquiry is examining the construction and governance of the campus and is hearing from former board leaders about those decisions, signalling that the board — and its senior executives — were central to the choice and delivery of the site [2] [1]. Healthcare Improvement Scotland and other national bodies produced reviews and recommendations affecting NHSGGC, indicating national agencies also shaped constraints and oversight around those decisions [5] [4].
2. Evidence gaps and contested records — why the inquiry is needed
Former NHSGGC chief executive Jane Grant told the inquiry it was “very difficult” to identify paperwork around key ventilation decisions at the flagship hospital, a remark the inquiry highlighted while continuing to call key decision‑makers as witnesses [1]. Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s review found weaknesses in governance, documentation and transparency within NHSGGC — findings the inquiry is now probing to determine who signed off major steps and whether processes were followed [4].
3. Key people being questioned publicly
The inquiry has summoned senior NHSGGC figures and Scottish ministers. Jane Grant, who led NHSGGC from 2017 to 2025, has been questioned about board communications and decision records [1]. The inquiry has signalled it will hear from former Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman and others, reflecting the overlap between board-level choices and ministerial oversight on capital projects [1] [2].
4. The inquiry’s remit: construction, design and decision chains
Lord Brodie KC chairs the Scottish hospitals inquiry, which is explicitly investigating the construction of the QEUH campus and associated Edinburgh facilities; the inquiry’s Glasgow hearings are focused on the campus decision-making, engineering and safety evidence submitted by NHSGGC and others [2] [3]. That remit gives the inquiry legal authority to examine who made final calls, and on what basis.
5. Conflicting responsibilities: board authority versus national oversight
NHSGGC is the body that commissioned and managed the campus within wider national policy and regulatory frameworks. Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s reports and Scottish Government correspondence show national agencies issued recommendations and required action plans for NHSGGC — meaning final local sign‑off could be influenced by national guidance or constraints, even while the board retained operational authority [5] [4].
6. What the sources do not say — limits of available reporting
Available sources do not mention a single named individual who legally “made the final decision” to locate the QEUH on its current site; they instead document board-level responsibility, executive testimony and the inquiry’s effort to reconstruct who authorised specific choices [1] [2]. The sources also do not provide a complete chain-of-signature for the site decision; the inquiry is still gathering evidence and will continue to call witnesses [2] [3].
7. Why this matters: accountability, safety and record-keeping
The ongoing inquiry and prior Healthcare Improvement Scotland review underscore that weak documentation and governance can obscure accountability for major capital decisions and for later operational problems — such as ventilation and infection risks — which the inquiry is investigating to establish who made what choices and why [4] [1]. Public trust in major hospital projects depends on clear records and traceable decision chains; the inquiry aims to supply that clarity.
8. Bottom line for readers
Current reporting and public documents place primary responsibility for the QEUH site and its delivery with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s board and executives, while the Scottish hospitals inquiry — led by Lord Brodie KC — is actively examining the documentary trail and questioning both NHSGGC leaders and Scottish ministers to determine who made final decisions and whether governance failures contributed to later problems [2] [3] [1].