Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the statement I made to the Parliament on 18 June 2008.

I am advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that the look-back exercise for the period 1 December 2007 to 1 June 2008 confirmed that patients in wards 3, 4, 6, 14, 15 and F of the Vale of Leven Hospital were treated for clostridium difficile.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14659 on 4 July 2008. I also announced on 18 June 2008 that an independent review would be held into the circumstances surrounding the clostridium difficile cases at the Vale of Leven Hospital. The review team’s report will be published at the end of July 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.

Real time local surveillance and monitoring is already in place in NHS boards. As part of the board wide review into numbers of clostridium difficile cases and deaths going back to December 2007 which is currently underway, all NHS boards have been asked to review and validate the performance of local surveillance systems and provide comments. Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and the Scottish Government will consider their responses to that exercise once the results are known at the end of July. Thereafter, HPS will produce draft guidance on local surveillance for healthcare associated infection (HAI) generally for discussion at the next HAI Task Force meeting on 3 September.

As confirmed to Ross Finnie at the question and answer session following the my statement at the Parliament on 18 June, I will update members about the above exercise should anything arise. I will also be discussing the adequacy of local systems and the type of monitoring that is being applied across each board area when I next meet with chief executives and we have asked HPS to ensure that all diagnostic labs are linked to the Electronic Communication of Surveillance in Scotland (ECOSS) system later this year to pave the way for a web-based local surveillance reporting system.

I refer the member to the statement I made to the Parliament on 18 June 2008 which details all the steps taken by me, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Scottish Government officials since these cases became known.

As the First Minister said in Parliament on 18 June, matters referred to the independent advisers will be matters of substance and import, and will not include matters which have already been resolved, or on which ministers have previously made a statement or apology, or cases in which allegations are unsubstantiated.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14804 on 17 July 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Efficiency savings made by the police will contribute to the target set for local government. That is £174.7 million in 2008-09, £349.4 million in 2009-10 and £524.1 million in 2010-11. It will be for local authorities and the police forces to agree the level of efficiencies to be delivered by the police.

I am advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that the Vale of Leven Hospital is cleaned in accordance with The National Cleaning Specification and monitored in accordance with the National Monitoring Tool. Returns for the standard of cleanliness are submitted to Health Facilities Scotland on a monthly basis in accordance with national reporting arrangements for cleaning services.

Terminal and Isolation cleans are completed in line with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Infection Control Policy Standard Operating Procedures when they are required. Terminal cleans involve domestic services and nursing staff thoroughly cleaning all surfaces and equipment within the clinical environment. This includes the removal of curtains and bed screens for laundering, beds, lockers and drip stands etc. In the majority of cases a hypochlorite based cleaning solution is used but this may vary according to any advice provided by the Infection Control Team on specific precautions to be taken.

In addition, when a patient is being treated in isolation for an infection, specific “Isolation Cleans” are carried out twice a day in the area in which the patient is being nursed. Isolation Cleans are thorough cleans of all the patient and nurse contact areas which minimise the risk of contamination.

Wards at the Vale of Leven Hospital undergo terminal cleans for a variety of reasons and I have been advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that 13 terminal cleans have taken place in various wards at the hospital since December 2007. I am also advised that a rolling programme of terminal cleans of all wards at the Vale of Leven began on 13th June and that this was completed on 28 June 2008.

No. I clearly set out the timeline of events in my statement to the Parliament on 18 June 2008. I made clear in the BBC interview that I was first aware of the cases of clostridium difficile (C. diff) at the Vale of Leven in late May. I advised that on 6 June 2008, a local Dumbarton newspaper informed me that it intended to report a possible five deaths from C. diff at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

On 10 June 2008, the Scottish Government was advised by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that, in addition to a range of other actions being taken, a full look-back review had been conducted. That review has now identified a total of 55 cases of C. diff infection from December 2007, including nine deaths where C. diff was the main cause of death and another nine cases where it was a secondary cause.

The infection control team met on 10 June 2008 and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde updated issued a press release on 11 June 2008. I received an interim report on the situation from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on 13 June 2008 and a further report on 17 June 2008.