LABOUR leader Anas Sarwar has reiterated calls for Nicola Sturgeon to “get a grip” of the management of a hospital at the centre of an infections fiasco – as he accused the health board of a “complacent and belligerent attitude”.

Mr Sarwar again pressed the First Minister for more action over the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), warning that the oversight board set up by the Scottish Government after NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was placed in level 4 special measures two years ago has not met in the last nine months.

Responding at First Minister’s Questions, Ms Sturgeon stressed that the review group of the oversight board met two months ago but said “it’s not about having meetings, it’s about actions”.

She added: “To be precise, 88 per cent of the oversight board’s recommendations have already been completed.

”The remaining actions that are outstanding don’t related to patient safety.”

Mr Sarwar said that after meeting with health board officials yesterday, “none of the cases” he has previously raised, including the death of former Scottish Government official Andrew Slorance, related to the two red and one amber Healthcare Infection Incident Assessment Tool (HIIAT) warnings Ms Sturgeon confirmed at last week’s FMQs had been flagged.

READ MORE: FMQs: Nicola Sturgeon tells QEUH staff to raise bullying concerns with her directly

The Labour leader said this was despite the cases being “all high risk bacteria linked to water and the hospital environment”.

He added: “None of them triggered a HIIAT red warning, despite everything that has happened and despite them all meeting the criteria.

“If that is not the definition of cover-up and denial, what is?”

The First Minster repeated what she “set out at some length” in her exchange with Mr Sarwar last week, stressing it is triggered “when there are two or more linked cases of infection”.

She added: “That is about triggering a notification to the Scottish Government. When that doesn’t happen, that does not mean that no action is taken.

“It is simply not the case to say that infections are not taken seriously.

“Despite the best efforts it will never be possible in any hospital anywhere to eradicate and avoid all cases of infection. But all cases of infection are taken seriously at the Queen Elizabeth and at every other hospital.”

Mr Sarwar pointed to criteria which he claimed showed a HIIAT warning is triggered if there is a risk of transmission, requires a major clinical intervention, there is a risk to life, there is a rare infection, associated mortality or it is in the public interest, adding that “only one of them needs to be met”.

But criteria published by Health Protection Scotland indicates that a red HIIAT warning will be issued if patients “require major clinical intervention as a consequence of the incident”, or there is a “major impact on services” such as hospitals being forced to close. A red or major HIIAT is also triggered if there are “major implications to public health or significant risk of cross transmission”, “major public anxiety anticipated” or there is “significant media interest”.

Mr Sarwar said that “given the revelations of the past month, given all that has happened over the last two years” and the “calls for the First Minister to get a grip on the crisis” and his claim that “the health board is still not reporting deadly infections in the hospital”, he asked the First Minister how she “can still have confidence” in the health board.

But the First Minister accused her opponent of “an utter mischaracterisation of my position”.

She added that what she has set out as the framework for HIIAT alerts is correct.

Ms Sturgeon said: “We take seriously and have taken seriously any and all concerns that are raised about the Queen Elizabeth.

“Anas Sarwar wants to suggest to people that the Queen Elizabeth is a hospital that is less safe than other hospitals – the evidence does not bear that out. All concerns that are raised are taken extremely seriously.

“We will continue to make sure that all actions are taken to deliver high quality patient care in the Queen Elizabeth which clinicians do already. I think that is important.

“Let us not undermine confidence in a hospital that is delivering high quality care for patients every single day.”

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "We remain very concerned about continued unfounded claims questioning the integrity of our staff.

"There is absolutely no complacency at any level within NHSGGC in relation to infection control and patient safety. On the contrary, it is afforded the highest priority across our services.

"The assessment of infection incidents using the HIIAT tool is a rigorous process undertaken by our frontline clinical staff and infection control teams, and all staff involved follow national guidance.

"These assessments are submitted to the national reporting body ARHAI. All of these reports are then reviewed by ARHAI.

"Following the meeting with Mr Sarwar yesterday at our request, we have invited him to meet with frontline staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children, so that he can see for himself the excellent work that is being done at our hospitals and hear first-hand about our collective commitment to high-quality, safe and patient-centred care.

"We would also be happy to remain in dialogue with Mr Sarwar to reassure him that our processes are robust."