Don't miss any of Glasgow Live's biggest stories - sign up to our daily email newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign me up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The investigation remains ongoing into the cause of patients' deaths at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. It had been reported two patients died after they contracted a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings at a hospital – though NHS Glasgow confirm one death was due to an unrelated cause. Believe to be two isolated cases of Cryptococcus at the hospital, the health board confirmed control teams have been working to ensure a safe clinical environment for patients. A number of child and adult patients who are vulnerable to the infection are receiving medication, which they said has proved effective. Chiefs said a likely source was found in a non-public area away from wards and the droppings were removed. Portable HEPA filter units have been installed in specific areas, which filter the air continuously. Dr Jennifer Armstrong, Medical Director, said: “Our thoughts are with the families of the two patients who have sadly died. An elderly patient has died of an unrelated cause while the factors contributing to the death of the second patient are being reviewed. “We are pursuing rigorously the root causes of this incident to ensure all measures are taken to prevent it happening again. “Health Protection Scotland are working closely with us in the investigations. “I must stress again that this organism is harmless for the vast majority of humans and most people who are exposed to the fungus never get sick from it. “The control measures that we have put in to place for the small number of patients who are vulnerable to the infection have been effective and there have been no further cases since December.” NHS Glasgow insist the organism is harmless to the vast majority of people and rarely causes disease in humans. There have been no further cases.<doc-sep>Christened the "Busy Lizzie", the hospital is the largest campus of its kind on the continent and treats some 750,000 patients every year - with some travelling from as far north as Skye.<doc-sep>Join thousands of others in getting the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox. Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice A chair covered in pigeon droppings was spotted in a public car park at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital three months ago but yesterday – despite two deaths linked to the bird faeces – it was still there. The pink chair was seen in an alcove at the rear of the old neurological building on the QEUH campus in October. Around the chair, the ground was littered with pigeon droppings and cigarette butts – indicating that, despite the smoking ban, some are still flouting the rules and risking carrying the droppings inside. A patient was so concerned by what he saw in October – two months before the deaths – he snapped a picture of the chair meaning to forward it on to hospital bosses. Bad news about his own health meant he pushed it from his mind. (Image: Daily Record/UGC) It was only when he read about the deaths in the Daily Record that he recalled his photo and sent it to us. Yesterday, we sent our own photographer to the area and he found the chair in the same position, still covered in pigeon excrement, albeit that the morning’s snow had washed some of it away. Nearby, our photographer noticed a walkway, which links the old building to the new, was also covered in pigeon droppings. Underneath the walkway was a disgusting mess but when he looked up there was even more of a surprise. Mesh had been placed along the underside of the walkway but it had failed to trouble the vermin. (Image: Daily Record) The patient, who does not wish to be identified because he is still receiving treatment at the hospital, said: “I was running late for my appointment in October, so I parked in the wee car park at the back of the neurological building because it was nearer the clinic. “I noticed the chair as I got out the car but because I was rushing to my appointment, I waited to take the picture when I came back out. “I knew when I saw it that it shouldn’t be there, especially in hospital grounds. The whole area was pretty much covered in it. “It seemed the area was getting used a lot because it was covered in cigarette butts. The main pathway was clear but the alcove was horrible. (Image: Daily Record) “I know people shouldn’t be smoking in hospital grounds but they do and if they are standing there, they are coming into contact with it then taking it back into the hospital.” Last night, Labour’s health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said: “This is a shocking revelation about the extent of the apparent pigeon infestation at the Queen Elizabeth and it throws into serious doubt Jeane Freeman’s assertion that she has full confidence that all possible steps have been taken to prevent the spread of this infection. “A sick child dying in hospital as the result of an infection they have contracted is as serious as it gets. My thoughts remain with the loved ones of the patients involved and I urge the Health Secretary to take urgent action.” (Image: Getty Images) A spokesman for Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board said: “We recognise there are a number of pigeons around the hospital site and we have taken measures including netting and spikes to help reduce this issue. “Our facilities staff will continue to use pest control measures to reduce the presence of pigeons and we are consulting with pest control experts to seek other methods of control.”<doc-sep>
An architect has criticised the design of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital as the flagship medical facility continues to hit headlines. The southside hospital has dominated the news this week, after an infection linked to pigeon droppings contributed to the death of a child patient. The child was one of two patients who died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after contracting the disease, although the second death was not connected to the infection. Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has ordered a review of the design, build, handover and maintenance of the £842 million Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, which opened in 2015. Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, architect Malcolm Fraser said the 12-storey "monster hospital" is not a "happy building" and bigger places tend to "cut corners". He said: "In this case it appears to be an issue with the mechanical ventilation and a gap that's been left that pigeons can get in. "Mechanical ventilation ducts are perfect places for cooking up virulent nasties, basically." He said hospitals tend to be built with mechanical ventilation but it was possible to design them with natural ventilation. "If the building's not built perfectly we have these places where disease can come in and problems can happen," Mr Fraser added. "At some point we're going to have to understand that making buildings machines is not conducive to health and recovery." Mr Fraser, behind award-winning modern buildings including Dancebase in Edinburgh and Scottish Ballet in Glasgow, said the inquiry should start with how the hospital was built and the processes in place. The patients contracted Cryptococcus infection, believed to be from pigeon droppings found in a plant room on the hospital's roof. Investigations are continuing to establish how the bacteria entered a closed ventilation system.