- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra nurses, auxiliaries and cleaners were drafted into the Vale of Leven Hospital to deal specifically with the outbreak of clostridium difficile; how long they remained at the Vale of Leven Hospital to assist, and from which hospitals they drafted in.
Answer
I am advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that following a meeting of the Outbreak Control Team on 10 June, an additional Infection Control Nurse from the Infection Control Team located at the Glasgow Western Infirmary was based at the Vale of Leven Hospital for a two-week period to help implement the actions agreed by the Outbreak Control Team. The board’s Hand Hygiene Co-ordinator was also based at the Vale of Leven Hospital for a seven day period between 12 and 26 of June.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 July 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has an equivalent governance framework to the Code of Practice for NHS Trusts issued by the Department of Health.
Answer
A governance framework is in place in NHSScotland. NHS boards are required to have governance arrangements in place to cover their corporate and clinical responsibilities.
NHS boards are required to provide assurance that robust governance arrangements are in place for the purpose of safety, quality and probity. Organisations such as NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and Audit Scotland provide scrutiny of these arrangements and offer development and improvement support.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures were followed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in relation to the outbreak of clostridium difficile in the Vale of Leven Hospital and when
Answer
The independent review which I announced on 18 June 2008 will examine this key issue. The review team’s report will be published at the end of July 2008.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing was first informed about the outbreak of clostridium difficile in the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Answer
I refer the member to the statement I made to the Parliament on 18 June 2008.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps should be taken and in what timescale for (a) notifying and (b) controlling the outbreak of infection in hospitals.
Answer
The exact steps required in the control of an incident or outbreak is an issue for each local incident management team. These will vary depending on the circumstances and the organism concerned. The Chief Nursing Officer wrote to NHS Scotland in November 2007 to clarify the arrangements for reporting healthcare associated infection incidents and outbreaks.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish an independent inquiry into the outbreak of clostridium difficile in the Vale of Leven Hospital, with the report of the inquiry being made public.
Answer
I announced to the Parliament on 18 June 2008 that an independent review would be held. The report of the review team will be made public.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive why there was a delay in reviewing cases of clostridium difficile during the outbreak in the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Answer
The independent review which I announced on 18 June 2008 will examine this key issue. The review team’s report will be published by the end of July 2008.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates NHS Scotland held discussions with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde about the outbreak of clostridium difficile in the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Answer
The first formal discussion between Health Protection Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde about this outbreak took place on 21 May 2008.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the incidences of clostridium difficile in the Vale of Leven Hospital occurred in patients transferred from other hospitals and, if so, how many patients were involved and from which hospitals.
Answer
I am advised that seven of the 55 patients confirmed as having clostridium difficile were originally transferred from the Royal Alexandra Hospital, between 28 December 2007 and 25 March 2008, to the Vale of Leven Hospital. It cannot be confirmed, however, if these patients contracted clostridium difficile before being admitted or whether they contracted the infection after arrival at the Vale of Leven Hospital.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 June 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being put in place to tackle clostridium difficile in hospitals.
Answer
The principal interventions effective against clostridium difficile (C.diff) in our hospitals are rapid diagnosis and isolation of patients; prudent prescribing of antibiotics; environmental cleaning; and rigorous hand hygiene procedures.
Mandatory national reporting of C.diff cases by laboratories was established in 2006, and the national C.diff reference laboratory for Scotland was established in 2008, which is a source of expert advice as well as providing information on typing of strains such as the hyper-virulent O27 strain. A national policy on provision of single rooms in new hospitals is also under development.
Prudent prescribing guidance was issued to NHS boards in 2005 by the HAI Task Force, and this was followed up by the launch in March 2008 of the Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan. The action plan has already resulted in the funding and establishment of the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group, which will oversee national surveillance of resistance and antibiotic use, and drive improvements in prescribing practice.
The Scottish Government’s HAI Task Force issued the national cleaning services specification in 2004, and the related monitoring system has shown continuing improvements in hospital cleaning standards across Scotland ever since. Monitoring of compliance with hand hygiene has also shown good improvements, with all NHS boards making good progress towards achieving our target of 90% hand hygiene compliance by staff by November 2008. This is supported by our ongoing national hand hygiene campaign.
Health Protection Scotland have also issued a model policy document on transmission based precautions, advice on management of C.diff O27, and a “care bundle” of five essential elements of care for all C.diff patients. An overarching new Scottish guidance document on C.diff is currently under preparation by HPS.
The independent review of Vale of Leven cases announced by me on 18 June 2008 will examine any failings there may have been in following these procedures.
