After campaigning for over a year, Thompsons Solicitors and the C-Diff Justice Group will at last see the start of the Public Inquiry into the deaths at the Vale of Leven Hospital.  A total of 55 people developed C-Diff and 18 people died after the outbreak at the Vale of Leven Hospital  in December 2007.

Families today will meet with Lord MacLean who will chair the Inquiry.  Lord MacLean , who was involved in the Lockerbie Trial took over the role after Lord Coulsfield had to stand down for health reasons.  The Inquiry is set to start its work on the 1st October and will report back in one year.

The inquiry will look at the circumstances surrounding the C-Diff rates at the Vale of Leven Hospital and it will examine the effectiveness of “management and clinical response” including “steps taken to prevent or reduce the spread of infection”.  The role of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will also come under scrutiny.  The steps taken at the Vale of Leven Hospital and NHS Scotland for recording C-Diff and the systems in place at the hospital will also be examined.

The families hope that the inquiry will bring them some answers and they hope that lessons can be learned across the whole of the NHS.

However, the terms have been criticised widely for being too narrow and the families were disappointed that they were not consulted prior to the terms of reference being agreed.  This is something that the cabinet secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, promised the families.

If you or a loved one contracted the C-Diff virus in hospital and the hospital was in any way unclean, or staff failed to follow their own infection control policies or cleanliness procedures, then you may have a claim for compensation.