No public inquiry into bug deaths

The extent of the outbreak came to light earlier this month Trouble continues at 'the Vale' C.Diff a regular occurrence

A public inquiry into deaths from the bug Clostridium difficile at a hospital in Dunbartonshire has been ruled out by the Scottish health secretary.

Nicola Sturgeon confirmed on Wednesday that an independent inquiry would look into the deaths of eight patients at Vale of Leven Hospital.

But the relative of one dead patient said a public inquiry was needed.

Ms Sturgeon said that although she understood this viewpoint, the inquiry would be "no cover-up".

The issue was raised during question time at Holyrood - where Labour Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie said Scottish Government officials discussed the UK Government's new infection guidelines on C.diff in February.

The extent of C.diff infection at Vale of Leven came to light earlier this month after a retrospective investigation by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

It identified 54 cases of infection between December 2007 and June this year at the hospital, in Alexandria.

Let me be clear, there will be no cover-up of anything that's gone wrong in the Vale of Leven Nicola Sturgeon Health Secretary Bug death family's call for action Timeline: How events unfolded

Eight patients died as a direct result, with C.diff cited as a contributory factor in a further nine deaths.

Michelle Stewart, whose 67-year-old mother-in-law Sarah McGinty died, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that an independent inquiry does not go far enough.

"I think there has got to be a public inquiry, so the public actually find out about this," she said.

"It has been covered up too much."

Ms Sturgeon said she understood the strength of feeling among relatives as she had "experience of C. difficile in the family" herself.

But she said the review she had ordered was "the right way to go".

"It will be thorough, rigorous, it will be carried out by experts and I think it's the right way to proceed," she said.

"Let me be clear, there will be no cover-up of anything that's gone wrong in the Vale of Leven."

Labour questions

The health secretary also hit back at Labour criticism over her own role in the affair.

She said an inquiry was already under way by the time she was made aware of the outbreak.

Labour's health spokeswoman, Margaret Curran, has written to Ms Sturgeon calling for the review to examine her own conduct.

The letter states: "Many people will be deeply concerned that, according to your statement, it was not until a local newspaper contacted you, on 6 June, that you appear to have first learned that five people had died at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

"If this information was known to a local newspaper, is it not reasonable to expect that you should also have known?"

Following the cross-governmental discussions on health, Ms Baillie asked First Minister Alex Salmond: "Why some five months later do we still not have guidance on C.difficile in Scotland?"

"Officials are aware of the developments in England and work is going and has been going on since then on advice specific to Scotland," he told MSPs.

"That advice will be published as quickly as possible because of the seriousness with which this government takes hospital-acquired infections and C.difficile in particular."