'We want accountability': Bereaved parents demand inquiry into 406 baby deaths at NHS Glasgow

Bereaved parents have called for an independent inquiry into the deaths of 406 babies following significant adverse events at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals since 2019.

In a series of emotional speeches on Buchanan Street on Sunday parents recounted the harrowing stories of how they lost their children shortly after birth.

They say that the deaths stem from medical negligence at NHS GGC.

Angus McLean and Julie Keegan's son Mason died at just days old in January 2024. Described as “born healthy”, he died, in part because of sepsis. An investigation found significant failings in Mason’s care; those failings played a role in his death.

Now, they want to see an independent inquiry into the death of Mason, and hundreds like him.

“We’re asking for an inquiry into the 406 babies who died due to a serious adverse event and we want it investigated independently,” Ms Keegan said.

The protest on the steps of the Royal Concert Hall on Buchanan Street, saw bereaved parents holding placards bearing their children’s names. and, in a symbolic event, children’s shoes were placed on the steps in front of speakers.

Ms Keegan said: “I think when you see that the shoes represent a baby, and how many of them there are, it just really brings it to life that they are not statistics. These are much loved babies who should be home with their families.”

Mr McLean said that there has been no accountability for the baby deaths and “There’s no consequences for these deaths.”

Ms Keegan, who is a nurse, added: “They said ‘we’ll learn from it’. That’s all you heard, and then hundreds of babies are dying in the process. The people at the top aren’t saying ‘we have babies dying every single week’, but it equates to 1.2 per week.”

The figures were revealed following a Freedom of Information request by the Herald and were initially denied by the health board, who said there had been fewer than 10 deaths in the time period.

Speaking at the protest, Ms Keegan said: “They phoned me up and said it was ten or less and as you can see here, we’ve got a lot of babies that have lost their lives and they [NHS GGC] came back and confirmed it was 406.”

Also in attendance were Julie Morrison, chief executive of the Baby Loss Retreat charity, and Brian Morrison, its bereavement coordinator. They called for a full public inquiry into the deaths.

Ms Morrison said: “We’re demanding a public inquiry. Not a review, a public inquiry. People need to be accountable for their mistakes and that isn’t happening. As you can see there are 406 baby shoes there, and that’s 406 families that are absolutely devastated.”

Ms Keegan said she wants to ensure that any review into neonatal care is not just forward facing, and takes into account those children who have already died.

She said: “The review is forward facing and isn’t looking at these deaths that have happened and we don’t think that’s good enough. We want answers and we want accountability for all these deaths.”

Paul Sweeney MSP said Mason’s parents' story was “devastating”.

“Mason’s parents Julie and Angus got in touch with me as constituents a few months ago. What they’ve gone through, particularly Julie as a nurse, and the horror of realising what’s going on with her child when she was in her most vulnerable state in hospital was just devastating."

Mr Sweeney said it raises questions about the scale of maternity care, not just in Glasgow but across the country.

He added: “In Mason’s case, there was an issue of inexperienced clinicians on duty who didn’t know what to do and were overwhelmed by the situation. And that’s not acceptable and unfortunately it’s the lack of real accountability within the healthcare system. At the serious adverse healthcare reviews, they’re basically marking their own homework.”

An NHS GGC spokesperson said: “We continue to extend our heartfelt condolences to Mason McLean’s family and we again sincerely apologise for the distress they have experienced.

“A Significant Adverse Event Review (SAER) was completed in August 2025 and improvements to processes, training and equipment have been implemented. We also strengthened our neonatal guidance, updated clinical pathways, and enhanced processes for temperature monitoring and clinical observations to help improve the care provided to newborn babies.

“We would welcome the opportunity to meet with Mason’s family again, to explore as far as we can the remaining concerns they have.”

The health board did not respond to the call for an independent inquiry into the wider figure of 406 deaths.