SENIOR clinicians have written to the First Minister to outline their “immense disappointment and frustration” at the way their hospitals are being portrayed in Parliament and in the media.

The 23 doctors also highlight the “untold distress” being inflicted on Scottish families as opposition figures bring up “individual patients … in Parliament without the knowledge of the families concerned”.

The letter follows a series of interventions by Scottish Labour, who have consistently raised concerns about the governance of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, alleging a culture of "cover up and secrecy".

A statement from NHSGGC said that “previous investigations into such claims, including by the independent review, concluded that there is no culture of organisational bullying”.

READ MORE: Labour urges Nicola Sturgeon to put flagship hospital under ministerial control

It added: “We are very concerned that these allegations persist as we have seen no additional evidence to substantiate any such claims."

In their letter, the senior clinicians say: "We have been, and remain, fully committed to being completely open and transparent in all that we do and we are dismayed that the integrity of our staff has been repeatedly called into question.

"Do we always get everything right when we discuss issues with families? Perhaps not. Do we ever wilfully withhold information from them? Absolutely not.

"We have grave concerns that the continued undermining nature of the current negative headlines will result in an erosion of trust between clinical staff and patients and their families."

The letter comes ahead of a debate in Holyrood, tabled by Scottish Labour, which will call on Parliament to say it has “no confidence in the leadership of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde”.

An amendment tabled by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf - which is likely to pass - will change this motion to instead recognise “the work of frontline NHS staff at QEUH, and across the health service”.

The National: Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar speaks at the Labour Party conference in Brighton

Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has previously called on the Scottish Government to “back or sack” the NHSGGC leadership, claiming the “ongoing scandal at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is the greatest of the devolution era”.

It comes amid ongoing controversy about infections at the hospital, with Sarwar claiming these had been linked to more deaths.

He told Nicola Sturgeon that a case of aspergillus - an infection linked to mould - had been discovered in a child cancer patient who was being treated in the same ward at the same time as Andrew Slorance – a senior Scottish Government official who died last year after contracting both coronavirus and the aspergillus infection while being treated for cancer in the QEUH.

Sarwar also said that more recently a child in the paediatric hospital acquired a waterborne infection like the one linked to the death of schoolgirl Milly Main, and had also died.

He said he had been contacted by two clinicians working at the health board, one of whom alleged that by not acting fast enough doctors “could have lost the chance to prevent subsequent infections and deaths”.

The Labour leader refused to confirm the identity of the clinicians, whom he claims fear “retribution”.

Responding at the time, Sturgeon said: “When concerns are raised about the cause of someone’s death, then that has to be properly investigated so that the action that is then taken as a result of that is the right action.”

Accepting “these are serious matters”, she added: “We do not do justice to the families concerned if we simply call for action that is not based on proper investigation, proper scrutiny and proper consideration.”