A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) has begun into the death of an 11-day-old baby at Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children.

Sophia Smith died at the hospital on 11 April 2017 after contracting an infection similar to MRSA, which developed into sepsis.

Police previously carried out an investigation into her death, alongside other fatalities at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) including leukaemia patient Milly Main, 10, who died after a catheter became infected when she was in remission.

Last January, the lord advocate said it was in the public interest to hold an FAI into Sophia’s death.

Before the inquiry got under way at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Sophia’s parents Theresa and Matthew Smith, who live in Inverclyde, said they hoped to finally get an answer as to why their daughter died.

A statement read out by their lawyer said: “It has been a long road to get to this milestone that we have reached today.

“We are pleased that a fatal accident inquiry has been finally set up and hope that by the end of this process we will know the truth about our daughter and why her life was tragically and heartbreakingly cut short.”

Sophia, who had Down’s syndrome, was born on 31 March 2017 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

She was transferred to Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children after her oxygen levels suggested she had possible cyanotic heart disease and poor femoral pulse.

Her condition showed signs of improvement until 10 April, and she died the following day.

In 2020, the police investigation into Sophia’s death was handed over to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) but a decision was made not to bring criminal charges.