Health Board ‘Sorry ‘ for C Diff Failures Fresh Outbreak Toll Now Four

By STEWART PATERSON

A SENIOR health board official has admitted shortcomings over the Clostridium Difficile outbreak that has led to the deaths of 17 people in the past seven months.

Tom Divers, chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said yesterday he “bitterly regretted” the shortcomings at Vale of Leven Hospital in Dunbartonshire and offered to apologise if further failures were identified.

But, facing fresh allegations that staff at the hospital believed it had taken too long to close wards to new admissions, he defended the health board’s response, saying no senior medical or nursing staff had raised concern about the risks.

Mr Divers was speaking as it was confirmed a fourth case of C Diff has been diagnosed at a Glasgow hospital and a ward closed to new admissions.

Mr Divers, who was interviewed on BBC Scotland’s Politics Show yesterday, said action was taken after a “look back” exercise which brought to light the number of cases.

But he added: “No doubt there have been shortcomings and I bitterly regret those. If it turns out there have been fundamental shortcomings which should have been acted on previously that had not been acted on by senior management then, certainly, I will apologise.”

On Saturday it was revealed that three patients at the Victoria Infirmary had contracted the virus, but were not showing signs of concern. Yesterday the health board confirmed a fourth.

A spokeswoman said all four patients were being treated in isolation and none was giving cause for concern. Additional cleaning and strict infection control measures were being implemented, she added.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said that since December last year 17 patients have died at Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals where C Diff was either the main cause or a contributory factor. The deaths have led Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to call an independent review of infection control procedures at Vale of Leven Hospital.

The latest infections emerged as it was claimed that a post- mortem in March showed a patient at Vale of Leven had been carrying the virus, but it was not until a meeting of health officials on May 21 that it was decided to act on infection control.

Opposition MSPs claimed patients at Vale of Leven have been badly let down by the health secretary.

Margaret Curran, Labour health spokeswoman, said: “Serious questions still need to be answered about the outbreak at the Vale of Leven and procedures for handling C Difficile in Scotland. It is now clear that Nicola Sturgeon was guilty of complacency. ” Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Ross Finnie MSP added: “It’s alarming that staff in the Vale of Leven Hospital do not feel that their concerns about infection control during the C Difficile outbreak were taken on board.

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: ” The independent review commissioned by the Cabinet Secretary, and due to be completed by the end of July, will examine all of the circumstances surrounding the C Difficile cases.”

Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.

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