(Image: Supplied)
A bereaved family were told maternity and neonatal death figures uncovered by The Herald were wrong, only for the health board to subsequently confirm the data was accurate.
The couple has now questioned the accuracy of information given to other grieving parents since the revelation.
Julie Keegan and her partner Angus McLean, whose three-day-old son Mason Scott McLean died in 2023, were left shocked after a senior official challenged figures first revealed by this newspaper.
The Herald reported in June that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde had recorded 736 serious adverse events across maternity and neonatal services between 2019 and 2025, with 406 recorded as involving a death.
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Both figures came directly from the board's own freedom of information response.
However, in email correspondence seen by The Herald, a senior NHS official told Ms Keegan she had “strongly assured” her the figure of 406 was wrong.
In a further email the following morning, the official repeated: “I wanted to do this very prompt reach out to you as the figures are wrong.”
Yet the same correspondence acknowledged officials still needed to obtain the original FOI response and check the numbers with senior colleagues.
NHSGGC has now apologised, confirmed its original figures were accurate and admitted it cannot substantiate a separate figure of “fewer than ten” quoted during discussions with the family.
Mr McLean and Ms Keegan have spent more than three years seeking answers about their son's death and challenging the significant adverse event review into his care.
Julie Keegan and Angus McLean, whose three-day-old son Mason died in 2023, are calling for an independent public inquiry into maternity and neonatal deaths following a dispute over NHS figures. (Image: Supplied)
Mason was killed by sepsis that multiple healthcare professionals failed to identify, treat, or act on in time.
The couple are supporting calls for greater transparency and independent scrutiny of maternity and neonatal services, amid concerns about whether families are being given clear and reliable information.
Ms Keegan, an ICU nurse, said she had initially believed the official's assurance because of the official's senior position.
Julie Keegan with her son Mason Scott McLean, who died aged just three days in January 2023. She and her partner Angus are calling for greater transparency in maternity and neonatal care. (Image: Supplied)
“I was just shocked because she was very convincing,” she told The Herald, “She was gasping at the 406, like audibly gasping and saying, ‘No, no, no, no! It's definitely not that. It's not even close to that.’”
The family is concerned that the conflicting information could undermine confidence in their campaign for an independent public inquiry.
They are now pressing ahead with a demonstration on Sunday, November 1, from noon until 2pm, on the steps of Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow, calling for an independent inquiry into maternity and neonatal deaths and serious adverse events recorded since 2019.
Ms Keegan said the aim was to establish what happened in the cases recorded by the board and whether any deaths could have been prevented.
“We want somebody independent to come and look into those deaths and see what's happened,” she said, “Internal investigations aren't working.”
Angus McLean with his son Mason Scott McLean. (Image: Supplied)
The dispute centres on figures uncovered by The Herald following its investigation into maternity and neonatal safety.
In its official FOI response dated March 2, NHSGGC recorded 736 Category 1 significant adverse events over seven years.
Of those, 406 were classified under the outcome “Death”. The newspaper reported that 406 incidents “involved a death”.
It did not claim that 406 babies had died because of medical negligence or that all 406 deaths were caused by adverse events.
The FOI data covered maternity and neonatal services and did not establish how many of the deaths involved babies.
However, in an email on October 14, the official wrote: “You'd mentioned you'd got the figure of 406 babies who had died from an adverse event in GGC from The Herald Newspaper.
“I strongly assured you that number was wrong, but that I could get you the correct figure.”
The official also questioned the figure of 736 serious adverse events mentioned by the First Minister in Parliament.
“I do not recognise this figure as a number coming from NHSGGC,” she wrote, despite it appearing in the board's own FOI response.
The following morning, she said she and a colleague believed the 406 figure might represent babies who had not survived pregnancy from 22 weeks onwards or the neonatal period, but acknowledged further checks were needed.
The correspondence raises questions about why the family was given firm assurances that figures reported by The Herald were incorrect before officials had verified the data.
NHSGGC has now confirmed the FOI figures were accurate, while insisting the communications were intended to clarify how the data should be interpreted.
A spokesperson said: “We recognise the profound impact of pregnancy and baby loss and extend our sincere sympathies to all families who have experienced loss.
“We can confirm that the information provided in our FOI response was accurate.
“The purpose of the communication was not to dispute the accuracy of the FOI data, but to provide further clarity around how that data is interpreted. In particular, the recording of an adverse event with an outcome of death does not in itself mean that the death occurred as a consequence of a Significant Adverse Event.
“We recognise that this distinction may not have been sufficiently clear and sincerely apologise for any confusion or distress this may have caused. We appreciate how sensitive this subject matter is and regret any upset arising from the communication.
“Our intention in offering a further meeting was to provide an opportunity to discuss the concerns raised, with any meeting arranged at a location and in a format acceptable to the family.”
The board's explanation about deaths not necessarily being caused by adverse events does not contradict The Herald's original reporting, which stated that 406 incidents involved a death.
NHSGGC also admitted it could not substantiate the separate “fewer than ten” figure quoted during discussions with the family.
“We sincerely and unreservedly apologise for the confusion caused,” the board added.
It said the official had been acting as the family's principal liaison contact and that a proposed meeting was intended to clarify outstanding concerns.
Mason was born in January 2023, and died three days later after his birth at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
His parents have repeatedly challenged the significant adverse event review into his death, alleging factual and medical inaccuracies.
The couple hope their campaign will lead to greater transparency and accountability for families affected by serious incidents within maternity and neonatal services.