Chamber and committees

Engaging with patients and relatives who had been affected by Clostridium difficile was a key specification given by me to the independent review team. It was therefore always the intention of the independent review team to involve patients and relatives in the review process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15591 on 8 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The Independent Review Team was specifically tasked with reviewing the events that took place at the Vale of Leven Hospital and Health Protection Scotland staff were consulted as part of the review. Any wider implications from the findings in the review are being taken forward in the national action plan.

The Scottish Government does not allocate funding for specific schools. We have already substantially increased capital resources for local authorities under the concordat “ almost £3 billion is available to authorities over three years for investment in infrastructure, including schools. This is a rise of £115 million this year and for each of the next two years, for authorities to invest according to their priorities. Any requests for future funding requirements will be considered as part of the next spending review.

The Vale of Leven Hospital follows the same reporting structure as NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. All Healthcare Workers (HCW''s), who suspect that an outbreak may be occurring must contact a member of the Infection Control Team (ICT).

The ICT will then take action and decide on the need for an Outbreak Control Team (OCT) based on the agreed outbreak severity. If necessary, the ICT will close the ward and inform the following; Consultant Public Health Medicine (CPHM), Occupational Health, Board Infection Control Manager, Nurse Consultant Infection Control, Bed Manager, Head of Nursing, Service General Manager, Facilities/Site Manager, Clinical Service Manager, Lead Nurse Service, General Manager Diagnostics Directorate.

The Board Infection Control Manager or Nurse Consultant Infection Control will then inform other Chief Officers and the Press Officer for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. If the outbreak has been classified as orange or above, as outlined in The Watt Report Infection Control Outbreak/Episode Risk Matrix, the Board Infection Control Manager will inform Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and Scottish Government Health Directorates (SGHD).

Should an outbreak be reported to SGHD, my officials, the Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Task Force, chaired by the Chief Nursing Officer, will inform the Chief Medical Officer and Director General of Health and Wellbeing. I am kept regularly briefed at all times.

Guidance on the control of Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) was first issued in the early 1990s by the then public health laboratory services and evidence has shown that this guidance has remained relevant.

Specific Scottish guidance on surveillance of CDAD has been available since the start of the mandatory CDAD surveillance programme in September 2006 and this was updated in October 2007.

A range of CDAD documents have been produced by Health Protection Scotland for NHS boards. These include the standard infection control precautions model policies which have been available since September 2006, with supporting education materials for hand hygiene and personal protective equipment also available, transmission-based precautions model policies, including contact precautions policy with Clostridium difficile specific hand hygiene and cleaning guidance, which was launched April 2008, the CDAD care bundle which was launched in March 2008 and a checklist for preventing and controlling CDAD was circulated for comment on 19 June 2008 to all infection control managers.

Health Protection Scotland is drafting new overarching national guidance to draw together the above publications and the Scottish Government''s HAI Task Force has been advised that a final draft will be provided to them in September 2008.

A new infection control structure was introduced across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGG&C) from 1 July 2008. The current structure of the Infection Control Nursing service has been reviewed to allow a full and seamless integration of NHSGG&C into a single delivery service across the Acute Division.

The outcomes of the review are as follows;

four Sector Teams (North West, North East, South and Clyde) will be established, with a twinning arrangement between sectors where each partnership will provide cover as required in outbreak and emergency circumstances.

each team will be led by a Lead Infection Control Nurse, who will also have a Glasgow and Clyde wide responsibility in one of the following areas: cleaning, decontamination, surveillance, built environment and education/audit/research.

a Co-ordination Infection Control Doctor will work closely with the Head Nurse of Infection Control, and will also take the role as Lead Infection Control Doctor. The new structure will have five Infection Control Doctors.

in line with the four Sector Teams, there will be four Sector Infection Control Committees. The chairs of each sector committee will report to the Acute Division Infection Control Committee.

The new structure is in the process of implementation, with new organisational arrangements and line management responsibilities.

The Scottish Government has no plans to do so. This would be a matter for the independent review team.

No. The report on the Scottish Government''s two Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) programmes between January 2003 and March 2008 is an overarching document detailing the work achieved by the HAI Task Force. The report is available on the HAI Website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/09/02115016/0.

The average available staffed beds in all specialties for the Vale of Leven Hospital in year ending 31 March 2008 was 197.