CDI senior assessment and treatment
Vale of Leven Inquiry · The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report · Issued 24 November 2014 · Addressed to: NHS Health Boards (Scotland)
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
Health Boards should ensure that any patient with suspected CDI receives full clinical assessment by senior medical staff, that specific antibiotic therapy for CDI is commenced timeously.
Vale of Leven Inquiry, The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report · 24 Nov 2014 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- Scotland's Health Protection Scotland (now ARHAI Scotland) developed clinical guidance for CDI management, including the requirement for prompt senior medical assessment and timely commencement of specific antibiotic therapy.
- The NIPCM includes guidance on the clinical management of CDI, and the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group provides prescribing guidance for CDI treatment (National Infection Prevention and Control Manual for Scotland (https://www.nipcm.hps.scot.nhs.uk/about-the-manual/)).
- NHS board antimicrobial management teams are responsible for ensuring CDI treatment protocols are followed, with surveillance data monitoring treatment timeliness and outcomes.
Response — verbatim from government
●Scottish Government
Section 4.1 of the Scottish Government's response acknowledges that recommendation 37 addresses delays in diagnosing and treating C. diff infection. Section 2.1 details that Scotland's Health Protection Network published C. diff guidance, revised in 2014, which outlines roles, responsibilities, and best practice on antimicrobial treatment. Additionally, NHS boards are supported with tools such as a C. diff testing protocol, a severe case investigation tool, a C. diff 'care bundle' for improving patient outcomes, and a 'trigger tool' to promptly identify problems and areas for improvement in patient care and antimicrobial prescribing.
Scottish Government · 18 Jun 2015 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 11 Jul 2022 · ARHAI Scotland / NIPCM NIPCM provides detailed clinical guidance on CDI assessment and treatment including requirement for senior medical assessment. Antimicrobial prescribing guidance from SAPG addresses timely CDI-specific antibiotic therapy. View source → Good Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.