Health chiefs cruelly cancelled a meeting with a widow who has demanded answers on her husband’s death at a scandal-hit hospital.
A sit-down between Louise Slorance and doctors was axed after she wanted to bring Scots Labour leader Anas Sarwar or his deputy Jackie Baillie with her.
Louise, whose late husband Andrew worked with the First Minister, blasted “How is it ok for the First Minister to come to Andrew’s funeral, but it is not ok for Jackie Baillie to come to a meeting about his death?”
Dad-of-five Andrew was part of the Scottish Government’s emergency communications team dealing with the pandemic.
He was also a cancer sufferer, admitted to the troubled Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in October 2020. He died weeks later after testing positive for Covid.
But Louise claims she was never told about repeated mentions in Andrew’s medical notes of the deadly infection aspergillus.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Louise have tried to arrange a meeting to discuss Andrew’s care but emails reveal the health board pulled back.
Deputy medical director Scott Davidson emailed her in May and Louise wrote to say a friend would attend as well as Sarwar or Baillie.
Davidson responded: “Unfortunately, it feels that the meeting is being taken in a different direction with proposed MSP attendance and therefore I do not feel we can support the meeting as proposed.”
Louise shot back: “It appears from your latest email, that the only acceptable support allowed to me are my octogenarian father, septuagenarian mother or in-laws, or my school aged children.
“Alternatively, I could choose to re-traumatise my young adult stepsons, who attended the hospital in their father's final hours. As you will understand, these are all unacceptable.”
An NHSGGC spokesperson said: “We recognise recognise that enabling Mrs Slorance to be accompanied to the meeting is important.
"However, we also have a duty of care to our staff to ensure such sessions are conducted in an appropriate way."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland are currently undertaking their inspection of infection prevention and control within Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and aspergillus will feature as part of that inspection.”
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