By HANNAH RODGER, CHIEF REPORTER FOR THE SCOTTISH MAIL ON SUNDAY
Five rooms have been closed on a ward treating seriously ill cancer patients at Scotland's scandal-hit superhospital in the last six months due to water and mould concerns - including one just days ago.
The Scottish Mail on Sunday can reveal more than a fifth of the 24 rooms at the £1billion Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) bone marrow transplant unit have been sealed off at some point since August last year.
Three rooms are currently shut.
The latest room closure, due to a leaking water connection, was on March 4 - the same day the First Minister said he was 'confident' the site was safe.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP said: 'Despite John Swinney's blithe assurances, there are clearly serious ongoing issues with safety and cleanliness that pose a danger to patients.
'Given the closure of these rooms, there must now be questions about the veracity of what we've been told by SNP ministers and health board chiefs.
'The secrecy and spin around this scandal must stop. John Swinney cannot hide behind evasions about the inquiry but must now come clean and give us the truth about safety at the hospital.'
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) confirmed to the Mail on Sunday two rooms in ward 4B were sealed off 'as a precaution' on the 'week ending 20th February 2026, due to the presence of marks on the ceiling in one room.' They said an infection alert, called a HIIAT, was issued relating to these closures five days later but have not yet revealed what prompted the alert.
The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) has faced many problems since it opened
HIIATs are supposed to be issued in response to an infection incident within the hospital, but NHSGGC has not confirmed whether patients were infected, or what with. They confirmed some patients were 'clinically investigated' in relation to the incident but they were all 'now discharged and causing no concern.'
Patients waiting for a bone marrow transplant usually have an extremely low immune system and need greater protection from infection while in hospital than other patients, as they are more at risk.
Dozens of cancer patients were previously infected with rare bugs, with around 30 cases likely to have some connection to the hospital's water or ventilation systems according to a government-commissioned review.
NHSGGC also confirmed a third room 'closed on 4th March 2026 due to a leak from a hose connected to the heating battery' which 'has now been repaired'.
The day after this third room closed the health board escalated the infection alert for the ward to red - the highest level. John Swinney told MSPs the reason was to 'acknowledge the heightened public anxiety around this matter', insisting it was not 'due to any increased risk of harm to patients.'
Now, we can reveal two rooms were shut in August last year over concerns about leaking ensuites. NHSGGC said the incident did not need an infection alert at the time.
Scottish Labour Health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said 'These staggering revelations suggest John Swinney may have been misleading the Parliament and the public over the safety issues at this hospital.
'Patient safety has to come first, but the Health Board and the SNP government still seem to be focused on protecting their own reputations.
'For the sake of patients, John Swinney must end the secrecy and cover-up and tell us what is really going on at the QEUH.'
The health board failed to mention the room closures or leak concerns at its latest board meeting or in a recently published 'Reassurance update' which was supposed to help reduce public anxiety regarding the QEUH campus. A spokeswoman said room closures 'would not be discussed at any board meeting unless there was ongoing governance concern'.
Louise Slorance, whose government advisor husband Andrew died at the QEUH while awaiting a stem cell transplant in 2020, said: 'Any signs of water damage have the potential to pose a risk to transplant patients.
'It's vital that the health board focus not on downplaying this ongoing incident but on making sure patients affected are appropriately followed up and all signs of water leakage are fully removed from this high-risk ward, and the source of leaks repaired. Patient safety much come before reputation.'
The QEUH campus has been plagued with issues since it opened a decade ago.
As revealed by the Scottish Mail on Sunday, NHS chiefs admitted dirty water at the site was probably linked to some rare infections in children who were being treated for cancer there.
The health board has been named as a suspect in a corporate homicide investigation looking at the deaths of four patients, including 10-year-old Milly Main and 73-year-old Gail Armstrong.
The deaths of three other patients - Andrew Slorance, Tony Dynes and Molly Cuddihy - are also being probed by the Crown Office.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'The Scottish Government is in close contact with NHS GGC in relation to Ward 4B and we receive regular updates to maintain an accurate picture of any ongoing developments.'