The hospital superbug outbreak that left 34 dead

SCOTLAND’S worst superbug outbreak led to the deaths of at least 3 patients and infected a total of 1 3.

An outbreak of C.diff at the Vale of Leven Hospital, Dunbartonshire, in 200708 was caused by ‘systemic failures’.

An inquiry found antibiotics were being prescribed when they were not necessary and that there were deficiencies in infection control procedures.

Those who died included 67-year-old grandmother Sadie McGinty who had been taken to the hospital after suffering a stroke, and 87-year-old Margaret Gaughan, who had been hospitalised after suffering shortness of breath.

Patients infected with the bug died in distress and pain.

C.diff most commonly affects people who have recently been treated with antibiotics but it can spread easily.

The elderly or those who are already unwell are most at risk of developing complications and dying. The bug can also be resistant to antibiotics.

Lord MacLean, who led the inquiry, said at the time: ‘The major lesson to be learned is that what happened at Vale of Leven Hospital to cause such personal suffering should never be allowed to happen again.’

As well as citing poor facilities, such as a lack of wash hand basins, he said there had been ‘prolonged, excessive and inappropriate prescription’ of some antibiotics at the hospital, and ‘repeated warnings over a number of years about the importance of prudent antibiotic prescribing had no impact’.