Bug ward closure 'took too long'

Ministers launched an inquiry into the Vale of Leven C.diff cases C. diff cases shut hospital ward

A worker at the hospital where nine patients died from the Clostridium difficile bug has questioned the length of time management took to act.

The medical staff member at the Vale of Leven Hospital told BBC Scotland of concerns that wards were not closed to new admissions quickly enough.

But the boss of the health board running the Dunbartonshire hospital said no such concerns had been raised.

The Scottish Government launched an independent inquiry into the cases.

A recent review identified 54 cases of infection between December 2007 and June this year at the Vale of Leven, in Alexandria.

A total of nine people died as a result of C.diff and it was a contributing factor in several further deaths.

No doubt there have been shortcomings and I bitterly regret those Tom Divers NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

The staff member, who asked to remain anonymous, told BBC Scotland's Politics Show they thought it was "highly likely" that Vale of Leven patients needlessly caught the bug.

The worker added: "Wards eventually were closed to new admissions, but staff had been questioning why wards weren't being closed to new admissions.

"Later on, down the line, management did indeed close wards to new admissions. It took a while."

Tom Divers, chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, told BBC Scotland the number of cases did not come to light until a specific "look-back" exercise, because information from different wards was not drawn together, but insisted action was taken as a result.

He said there were limited facilities at the Vale of Leven for isolating patients, but added: "Where there were cases where it was thought necessary to transfer patients so that they could be treated in a single accommodation then that was done."

Material risk

Mr Divers said he was "disappointed and concerned" by the comments made to the BBC by the hospital worker, as all senior consultants, nursing and infection control staff had been interviewed.

He said: "None of those members of staff have, at any time, highlighted a concern of that kind.

"If a senior member of our clinical team felt that was the case and that there was a material risk, then it was that individual's responsibility to bring that forward and make that known."

When asked if Mr Divers would say sorry to the dead patients' families, he responded: "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."