How many scottish hospital inquiries are there
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Executive summary
As of the reporting in these sources, Scotland is hosting a major single, statutory public probe known as the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry that investigates safety and construction issues at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh [1] [2]. That inquiry is one of several high‑profile public inquiries active in Scotland in 2024–25 — the BBC and other reporting count four ongoing public inquiries around 2024–25 and parliamentary figures show five still under way at a later point, but the “Scottish Hospitals Inquiry” itself is a single, distinct inquiry [3] [4].
1. One named, statutory investigation into Scottish hospitals — what it covers
The formal probe is called the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry. Established after announcements in 2019 and set up under the Inquiries Act 2005, it is chaired by Lord Brodie and tasked specifically with examining the design, construction and safety issues at the QEUH campus in Glasgow and the RHCYP and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh [1] [2]. Its remit covers whether the built environment affected patient safety, the background to project delivery and related procurement and technical decisions [5] [6].
2. Ongoing, multi‑year hearings and interim work — the inquiry’s pace and product
The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry has run long‑form hearings and published at least an interim report; its oral evidence sessions have continued through 2024–25 with planned further hearings extending into 2025, and the inquiry is not closed — Lord Brodie has signalled work will continue and further hearings were scheduled [2] [7] [5]. The NHSGGC guide and parliamentary material make clear the inquiry is an active, statutory process that will end only when the chairman submits his report to ministers [8] [7].
3. Where confusion can arise — multiple public inquiries in Scotland, but one Scottish Hospitals Inquiry
Media coverage and parliamentary cost tallies frequently discuss “public inquiries in Scotland” in the plural. For instance, reporters and Holyrood data count several major probes running in the same period (the COVID inquiry among them), and the total bill figure published to September 2025 covered five ongoing and five completed inquiries [3] [4]. That broader count can create the impression there are “many” hospital inquiries; however, the sources show a single, named statutory Scottish Hospitals Inquiry focused on the two hospital projects [1] [2].
4. Key milestones and contested issues inside the inquiry
The inquiry has heard evidence about delayed openings, ventilation concerns and infection outbreaks, and families and clinicians have given testimony about patient safety worries [9] [6] [10]. There has also been litigation over the inquiry’s handling of expert evidence — a judicial review challenged the Inquiry’s refusal to admit certain expert material, indicating dispute over procedure as well as substance [11].
5. Cost and political context — why the number of inquiries matters
Holyrood committees and press outlets have highlighted the rising public cost of inquiries, noting figures such as £258.8m cumulative to September 2025 covering multiple inquiries and naming the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry among the costly probes [4] [12]. MSPs have asked whether an expanding appetite for inquiries reflects delivery failures in public services; that political framing helps explain why commentators tally total numbers of inquiries in Scotland rather than focus on each statutory probe separately [4] [7].
6. What the available sources do not say
Available sources do not mention multiple separately titled “Scottish hospital inquiries” beyond the single Scottish Hospitals Inquiry that examines the Glasgow and Edinburgh projects; they do not list other independent inquiries solely devoted to Scottish hospitals in the same way (not found in current reporting). They also do not provide a definitive single‑date count that would reconcile different tallies of “ongoing inquiries” versus “hospital inquiries” beyond the explanations above (not found in current reporting).
Conclusion — the short, practical answer
If you mean “how many Scottish hospital inquiries are there?”: there is one statutory public probe titled the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry that specifically investigates the QEUH campus (Glasgow) and the RHCYP and Department of Clinical Neurosciences (Edinburgh) [1] [2]. If you mean “how many public inquiries are happening in Scotland?” reporting and parliamentary data show multiple concurrent inquiries in 2024–25 — typically counted as four to five ongoing probes in that period — and the hospitals inquiry is one of those [3] [4].