Seòmar agus comataidhean

The post of Chief Inspector of the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate was advertised in The Herald and The Scotsman on 24 March 2009 and the Sunday Herald and Scotland on Sunday on 29 March 2009, with a closing date of 6 April 2009. The post was also advertised in S1Jobs.com and the NHS (SHOW) website and internally in the NHS.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate will require NHS boards to publish an improvement plan to ensure all necessary action is taken. There is a clear intention to ensure rigorous follow-up on findings and recommendations through scrutiny and challenge of NHS board action plans and on the basis of further announced and unannounced visits to provide necessary levels of assurance and accountability. The chief inspector will be able to raise specific concerns directly with Scottish ministers and an escalation process will be in place.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate will operate independently of the Scottish Government and of NHS boards which will be the subject of its inspections. The reports, findings and recommendations of the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate will be published independently.

The regional inspector posts were advertised on 24 April 2009 and associate inspector posts were advertised the week beginning Monday 29 April 2009.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate will publish its detailed operational arrangements for undertaking inspections when these have been finalised following the appointment of the chief inspector.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) have confirmed the review will be published in September 2009 and in the meantime that the current guidance remains extant.

Clostridium difficile spores represent the main source of cross infection with the organism and their containment is, therefore, a top priority. Health Protection Scotland (HPS) issued guidance in October 2008 titled Guidance on Prevention and Control of Clostridium difficile Associated Disease (CDAD) in Healthcare Settings in Scotland which details the measures to be taken to prevent the spread of clostridium difficile, such as isolation of symptomatic patients, hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, personal protective equipment and the safe management of linen and waste.

This guidance can be found on the HPS website at:

http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/hai/sshaip/guidelines/clostridium-difficile/guidance-cdad-2008-10.pdf.

Products which receive the recommendation of the Health Protection Agency''s Rapid Review Panel (RRP) will be automatically considered for possible use in NHS Scotland by the HAI Commodities Advisory Group. This is a strategic group hosted by National Procurement, which meets six monthly but operates an e-mail discussion group between meetings. The group oversees the use of HAI related commodities within NHS Scotland and brings the process of review and procurement of products together through the application of a single national systematic approach and process.

There was an unacceptable delay before NHS Orkney notified the Scottish Government of the Clostridium difficile outbreak. NHS Orkney has accepted this and their lines of communication have been completely revised to ensure any future incidents are reported quickly.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-23212 on 5 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.