NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde: Chief Operating Officer Safety and Assurance Oversight Group Minutes: 23 April 2026

Attendees and apologies

Attendees

• (Chair) – Chief Nursing Officer
• Professional Nurse Adviser of Healthcare Associated Infections
• Deputy Director of Health Infrastructure and Sustainability
• Deputy Chief Medical Officer
• Head of HCAI and AMR Unit (Healthcare and Associated Infections & Antimicrobial Resistance)
• Unit Head of Information Governance Response Unit
• Unit Head of Leadership, Talent Management and Partnership Unit
• Head of Health Sponsorship
• Secretariat

Apologies

• Chief Operating Officer
• Deputy Chief Nursing Officer
• Deputy Director of Information Scrutiny & Governance
• Deputy Director of Planning & Quality
• Unit Head of Planning & Quality
• Deputy Director of Leadership, culture and wellbeing
• Deputy Director, Chief Nursing Officer

Items and actions

Welcome
The Chief Nursing Officer chaired this meeting in usual Chair’s place due to an urgent commitment.

Approval of Minutes of meeting 4, 25/03
Approved.

Actions log
Live actions discussed, with the following update:

• (Action ref 25/02/26: 04) CNOD picking up action on Board systems.
• (Action ref 25/03/26: 10) Bone Marrow Transplant Unit options paper – Head of Health Sponsorship asked Sir Lewis Ritchie today when the group can expect to receive this. Timescales not available. Members acknowledge that options will take some time to work through rigorously, agreed for Head of Health Sponsorship to check in again with Sir Lewis in around a month.

Risk Register
The risk register has been developed as an action from the 25/03 meeting. The Chair thanked members for their consideration and input and invited comments.

Point to consider in ensuring items on this register are only those which the SG holds, has control over and can mitigate against undesirable outcomes. To discuss further at next meeting.

Action: Secretariat to note for next meeting’s agenda

Terms of Reference
A small number of amendments were agreed so final version not approved.

Action: Secretariat to make amendments and seek final approval from members as soon as possible.

Feedback from engagement with NHS GGC SPCG Co-Chairs
The Head of Health Sponsorship provided an update from a meeting with the Co-Chairs on 14/04. GGC’s portfolio approach was discussed, with a likely end of phase one activity in June. Prophylaxsis and a national policy (or otherwise) on Bottled Water was discussed – a meeting on the latter will be arranged shortly.

Feedback from 08/04 NHS GGC SPCG meeting
No update other than the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Nursing Officers roles as observers now clarified, further to discussion at 25/03 meeting.

Consideration and assessment of deliverables
It was agreed that this cannot be done until the COO NHS GGC Safety and Assurance Oversight Group has seen deliverables and an action plan for each portfolio from GGC. These are expected around the end of May.

Action: Secretariat to add to the agenda for the next meeting.

Action: In the meantime, all members to consider what good looks like and to share initial thoughts by email to the secretariat ahead of a fuller discussion at the next meeting (12 June).

Portfolio 1: Public, Patient & Families Engagement and Communications

Engagement with families

Head of Health Sponsorship provided an update on the response which was prepared by NHS GGC, shared with the Chief Operating Officer, and then sent to families via Thompsons solicitors. Agreed that a conclusion must be reached and a completion date should be set for the outstanding answers.

Action: Head of Health Sponsorship to take forward with GGC.

FOI and proactive publication

Secretariat invited comments on any live FOI requests and any need for alignment in the handling of these. No comments received.

Following from discussion at previous meetings of this group on proactive publication of key documents, the Secretariat proposed to the group that a gov.scot webpage is set up with a view to publishing this groups’ Terms of Reference and minutes of meetings.

The group looked favourably upon this in principle and it was agreed that some sample minutes would be shared for agreement of style and level of detail.

Action: Secretariat to share sample minutes for members’ comment and decision, so that documents can be published in the near future.

Portfolio 2: Environment, Facilities & Technical Assurance
Update on wards 4A and 4B

The  Healthcare Associated Infections updated that there has been no IMP since 01/04, the next one will be on 29/04. A recent ORT has shown nothing new and 2 wards remain closed, in line with GGC’s risk assessment. ARHAI are following up. 

There is a meeting on 27/04 to discuss ventilation of ward 4B and ARHAI may undertake a site visit after that.

The action re the swab of a handprint on a sink and investigation into that can be closed.  Swab was sent to Bristol for analysis and tests returned low pathogenicity and ‘not significant’.

Portfolio 3: Portfolio 3: Professional Relationships, Leadership & Culture
The Deputy Chief Medical Officer provided a brief update on the issue with IPC doctors, IPC nurses and the wider general medical workforce. There is an additional technical element around new build hospitals and IPC expertise. SG is supporting the wider issue by engaging with Workforce, NES, NHS Assure, and Medical Directors to bolster the position. It was agreed that this is a national issue and should be handled as such.

The Professional Nurse Adviser of Healthcare Associated Infections fed back that a number of courses and learning modules on IPC in relation to ventilation and water, and on the built environment are now available for staff to build knowledge and skills. It is for SG to support workforce to access these learning activities.

Action: CNO and colleagues to take forward issue of encouraging access to learning activities.

The Head of HCAI and AMR Unit alerted the group to a report which is due on culture and professional relationships. This will be submitted to the SPCG and will be of interest to members of this group.

Any Other Business
No additional business raised.