Robison Responds To C-Diff Report

Scotland's new Health Secretary will make a statement to Holyrood today after an inquiry into a deadly Clostridium difficile outbreak found ''serious personal and systemic failures''.

Shona Robison, who was appointed Health Secretary on Friday, yesterday apologised to families and patients who had been let down by the NHS as the inquiry report was published.

Today she will address Holyrood on its findings, and face questions from opposition members.

The inquiry was set up in 2009 to investigate the treatment of patients at the Vale of Leven Hospital in West Dunbartonshire.

It revealed C.diff was a factor in the death of 34 out of 143 patients who had tested positive for the infection at the hospital during the period January 1 2007 to December 31 2008.

Inquiry chairman Lord MacLean said the true figure could be higher still, as medical records were not available for all the patients who died during the period.

He said patients at the hospital had been badly let down'' by people at different levels of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. He added that overall responsibility rested with the health board.

''The Scottish ministers bear ultimate responsibility for NHS Scotland and, even at the level of the Scottish Government, systems were simply not adequate to tackle effectively a healthcare-associated infection like CDI, he said.

Ms Robison said: ''Our first thoughts must be with the families and patients who have been let down by our NHS and for that I am truly sorry.''

She said the Government accepted all 75 of Lord MacLean's recommendations.

''Our top priority is that lessons are learned so that what happened at the Vale of Leven can never be allowed to happen again, she said.