CDI reporting to CEO and Board
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 numbers and rates of CDI are reported through each level of the organisation up to the Chief Executive and the Board.
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:
- The Scottish Government's response detailed national and local surveillance data collection, including mandatory CDI surveillance (started 2006 for patients aged 65+, extended April 2009 to all aged 15+). The LDP standard requires CDI rates of 0.32 or less per 1,000 total occupied bed days.
- Scotland achieved a CDI rate of 0.27 per 1,000 occupied bed days in the year ending December 2018, meeting the target with a decreasing year-on-year trend of 7.5% between 2014 and 2018.
- The requirement that CDI numbers and rates are reported through each level of the organisation to the Board is addressed through national surveillance systems operated by ARHAI Scotland (formerly Health Protection Scotland) and local audit requirements within the HAI Standards.
- The HCAI Strategy 2023-2025 maintains surveillance and reporting as core elements of Scotland's approach to HAI reduction (Scottish HCAI Strategy 2023-2025 (https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-healthcare-associated-infection-hcai-strategy-2023-2025/)).
Response — verbatim from government
●Scottish Government
Section 2.1 of the Scottish Government's response highlights that national surveillance of C. diff infection is conducted, and a specific C. diff infection target is included in Local Delivery Plan Standards, requiring NHS boards to report performance. Furthermore, C. diff guidance published by Scotland's Health Protection Network outlines roles and responsibilities, which would encompass reporting mechanisms. Section 4.2 adds that eHealth systems like TrakCare and online clinical portals facilitate the secure sharing of clinical information, including diagnoses and results, across healthcare staff.
Scottish Government · 18 Jun 2015 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 1 Sep 2025 · Public Health Scotland / NSS CDI rates reported through multiple levels of organisation from ward to Board level. Quarterly national surveillance reports published by Public Health Scotland. Health boards report CDI data at all governance levels. View source → Confirmed Completed
- 1 Mar 2021 · Scottish Government Oversight Board QEUH Oversight Board found significant failings in reporting of infection data within NHS GGC despite Vale of Leven recommendation for CDI reporting through all organisational levels. Key water quality and infection data not escalated appropriately. View source → limited_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.