Families challenge Swinney over hospital apology claim

Families whose loved ones died or were harmed by infections at Scotland's biggest hospital have disputed John Swinney's claim that he has apologised to them. In a BBC interview the first minister, when asked if he apologised to the relatives during an online call on Thursday, replied: "Of course I did, yes". The comment surprised families of patients at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus who have issued a statement saying no formal apology was given. In a clarification Swinney said he may not have "communicated effectively" during an emotional meeting but wished to be "crystal clear" that he was "sorry for the issues they have experienced at the QEUH". The BBC has established that Swinney did use the word "apology" in his opening remarks at the meeting, but it referred to "the fact that on a number of questions we have not met your expectations or delivered the solutions that you would have wished to have seen". The QEUH campus, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children, became Scotland's largest health facility when it opened in 2015. But within a few years it emerged that a number of cancer patients had died and many others became more unwell after contrac