By DOUGLAS FRASER SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR THE Vale of Leven Hospital faces the removal of key services under recommendations from an expert panel reporting to Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon.

By HELEN PUTTICK HEALTH CORRESPONDENT BIRTHING units at two Scottish hospitals are to be saved from cuts after a campaign supported by thousands of people.

YOUR editorial rightly highlights the many issues and challenges at the Vale of Leven Hospital (August 8).

By HELEN PUTTICK HEALTH CORRESPONDENT THE hospital bug Clostridium Difficile caused or contributed to nearly 300 deaths in Scotland in six months, an unprecedented investigation revealed yesterday.

A VIRULENT bacterial outbreak waiting to happen. It is clear from the report of the independent inquiry, published yesterday, into the worst case of Clostridium Difficile (C Diff) in Scotland that conditions were, if not a breeding ground, certainly favourable for the toxin to spread.