Probe demand on hospital bug deaths

The families of hospital patients who died during a Clostridium difficile outbreak have stepped up their calls for a public inquiry.

They launched a petition at the Scottish Parliament and claimed that the infection in hospitals is "out of control".

C diff was linked to 18 deaths at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire.

Michelle Stewart, whose mother-in-law Sarah McGinty was one of the victims, was joined by Sheila Chandler - whose father Alister Johnston, 66, died - and her husband David.

The families say they have met with widespread public support in their calls for action.

"The main reason why we came here is because of the public support we`ve had," Ms Stewart said.

"People stopping us in the street and saying they are terrified of going into hospital - this is happening, that`s happening - the fear."

The NHS in Scotland has also failed to get on top of handling C Diff, with no set guidelines in place, according to Ms Stewart.

"We`ve always said that we don`t blame individuals for what happened at the Vale of Leven - we blame the fact that the system has failed.

"But those systems are the same systems that are in place across Scotland. If they can fail at the Vale of Leven, they can fail anywhere."

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