R37 Response Accepted AI-assessed

CDI senior assessment and treatment

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.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
The Scottish Government accepted this recommendation in 2015. Detailed clinical guidance on Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) assessment and treatment, including the requirement for senior medical assessment, is provided through the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) and Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) frameworks. SAPG guidance also addresses timely CDI-specific antibiotic therapy (ARHAI Scotland / NIPCM, 2022-07-11).
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.gov.scot, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Response
Accepted
Accepted Scottish Government
18 Jun 2015

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.

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Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Good Progress
11 Jul 2022
ARHAI Scotland / NIPCM Other

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 detailed findings

Clinical guidance on CDI management is comprehensive through the NIPCM and SAPG frameworks.

National Infection Prevention and Control Manual … View Source
Source
Report The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report 24 Nov 2014
Responsible Bodies
NHS Health Boards (Scotland) Primary
Recommendation age 11.3 yrs
Last formal update 3932 days ago