THE NHS has failed to suicide proof its flagship new Scottish facility despite 50 patients taking their lives over the last four years.

Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow has been built with ligature points – places where a noose can be hung – against the recommendation of its own ruling board.

This emerged after a patient died at their own hands in the hospital last year.

An investigation by BBC Scotland uncovered minutes of a meeting of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s board after the death. The papers said members “found it regrettable that the specification for the area in question had not followed that of a psychiatric hospital”.

And they added: “No further action was planned with regard to ligature points although risk assessments would be undertaken to allocate ‘at risk’ patients to appropriate wards.”

Relatives of those who have died in hospital suicides are now asking why lessons have not been learnt across the NHS.

Jodie McNab, 22, killed herself at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth in 2013.

NHS Tayside said lessons would be learned. Then, in late 2015, another two women killed themselves.

Ms McNab’s mother, Tracy Swan, now lives close to near the hospital.

She said: “We bought this house just a few weeks before Jodie was admitted. Now it’s a constant reminder. Sometimes I don’t mind – I’m close to where she died. Other times I get so angry just looking at the building.

“In this day and age this should be preventable. She was supposed to be in a place of safety. Her room was supposed to be kitted out for people who were suicidal. She was admitted to Murray Royal under section and under constant observation... Jodie’s death was entirely preventable.”

The death toll of 50 suicides in hospitals over the last four years was discovered thanks to Freedom of Information laws. Unlike the overall suicide rate, figures for those in the care of the NHS have not fallen.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde insisted any patient assessed as being at risk of hurting themselves would get “appropriate support”. NHS Tayside – which is facing Crown Office investigations into the three deaths at Murray Royal – declined to comment.

Roger Livermore, a former NHS inspector and prosecutor, said: “These deaths really should not be happening. Such deaths should be extremely rare, if they happen at all.

“The underlying problem is Scottish ministers have refused to implement the law on patient safety. The philosophy has got to be no suicides, whereas the current philosophy is to reduce suicides, but that is not what the law requires.”

Minister For Mental Health Maureen Watt said: “Any death by suicide is a tragedy that has a terrible effect on a person’s family, friends and community. The Scottish suicide rate fell by 17.8 per cent between the periods 2000-2004 and 2010-2014.

“There is a considerable amount of work under way to ensure this downward trend continues. NHS boards do everything they can to prevent suicides from happening in hospitals.”