CALLS have been made for an inquiry into “multiple problems” at Glasgow’s £842million super-hospital which have led to patient deaths, children becoming unwell due to contaminated water and millions being spent on repairs.

A contractor who was involved in the project to build the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital less than four years ago, said there had to be a ‘level of accountability,’ for the problems, most seriously, the death of two patients, linked to a severe pigeon infestation.

It is unclear if that problem is linked to the building’s construction, but he said it should be looked into.

He said faults were appearing “throughout the structure” of the hospital, which was billed as one of Europe’s most advanced when it opened in 2015.

Investigations are continuing after two patients contracted a rare fungal infection, Cryptococcus, carried in the air and linked to pigeon droppings. A number of other patients who are immune-suppressed are receiving preventive treatment.

The hospital, which was built by Brookfield, now known as Multiplex, has been plagued by problems since it opened, resulting in the closure of the Western and Victoria infirmaries.

They have included; contamination in the water supply leading to paediatric cancer patients being transferred and more than £1million spent upgrading the water system and exterior and glass panels smashing to the ground - one from ten floors - near the entrance to the hospital.

Read more: Two patients dead following pigeon infestation at Queen Elizabeth hospital 

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is also in the process of replacing cladding on the building after it emerged similar panels to those used on the Grenfell Tower were involved,

The health board said Multiplex had not been involved in any of the issues affecting the hospital.

However, one of the architects who was involved in putting together the blueprint for the QEUH, claims his team was excluded after Multiplex were given the contract to build it and believes there wasn’t enough “scrutiny” during the construction phase.

Robert Menzies, a retired healthcare architect, said it was well known there was a problem with pigeon infestation on the site and says precautions were taken during the construction of the newer part of Glasgow Royal Infirmary to help prevent birds entering the building.

He said: “We were tasked with coming up with an exemplar design (for the QEUH) and we were to have a supervisory role but when Brookfield were appointed, we were stood down.

Read more: Grenfell cladding to be removed from Children's Hospital in Glasgow 

“There is no guarantee we would have picked up on all the problems but it does seem odd.

“We had encountered it (the pigeon infestation) on the site. We knew there was a problem.

With regard to the exterior cladding having to be replaced he said: “If the panels are defective, they should never have been put there in the first place.”

Mr Menzies was also involved in the design of the cancer unit at the former Yorkhill hospital, which he said involved ensuring it had a sanitised water supply due to the vulnerability of the patients.

He said: “We never had any problems in 20 years. “It seems odd that a modern, up-to-date system should have this problem.”

He added that contractors are generally only liable for defects, for around a year after the building is completed and may claim that a problem has arisen through “misuse of the building.”

The Evening Times contacted Multiplex for comment regarding the problems affecting the hospital but the company did not respond to a number of enquiries.

Read more: Cancer patients moved out of children's hospital following water contamination fears 

A former contractor, who was involved in the project to build the QEUH, believes the repeated problems merit further investigation.

He said: “There must be a level of accountability to the multiple problems and to whether they have any connection to patient illness and death.

“An example of which are the large panels that keep falling off the exterior of the building, the contaminated water supply in the children’s hospital and sewage leak in the main hospital.

“However more pressingly, the current problems with the pigeon infestation and air quality to immuno-compromised patients.

“There seems to be some fault with the fabric of the building on many levels as faults are appearing throughout the structure. “

Read more: Fourth child treated for infection following contaminated water scare at hospital 

A spokeswoman for NHSGGC said: “No other patients have developed symptoms of Cryptococcus infection.

“We can only confirm that we have identified a small number of adult and paediatric patients who are potentially at risk of infection because of their clinical condition and they are receiving prophylaxis treatment which is proving effective.

“We have taken further steps to reduce the presence of pigeons on the QEUH site including the fitting of extra nets and spikes and we are consulting with pest control experts about possible further steps.

“We checked all plant rooms and identified one as a likely source. Brookfield are not part of our ongoing investigations into this incident.

“Other individual issues such as cladding have been or are being resolved.”