A hospital where 28 patients died in a Clostridium difficile outbreak six years ago has showed signs of improvement according to a report by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI).
Vale of Leven Hospital Hopsital in West Dumbartonshire was visited by health inspectors in January, who said wards at the hospital were clean and staff were knowledgeable about infection control.
However officers said that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde must make sure that it was a “matter of priority” that staff wear the correct gloves and dispose of waste appropriately.
An inquiry into the outbreak found that C.diff was the cause or lead to the death of 28 people between December 2007 and June 2008.
The report into the C.diff outbreak is expected to be released shortly.
“This inspection found evidence that Vale of Leven Hospital is working to comply with the majority of standards to protect patients, staff and visitors from acquiring an infection,” Susan Brimelow, HEI chief inspector, said.
“Patients spoke positively about the cleanliness of their wards and staff were aware of their individual responsibilities for the prevention and control of infection.
“We also found significant improvements have been made to the physiotherapy department, which has been refurbished since our last inspection.
“We did however identify areas where improvements must be made within one month. These include ensuring gloves selection policy and glove usage by staff comply with current guidance, and that standard infection control precautions are applied in relation to waste management and disposal.”
Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil said that the latest report showed the hospital was “driving up quality improvements”.
Copyright Press Association 2014