R48 Response Accepted AI-assessed

ICM Board HAI reporting

Recommendation

Health Boards should ensure that the ICM is responsible for reporting to the Board on the state of HAI in the organisation.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
The Scottish Government accepted this recommendation in 2015, stating the Infection Control Manager (ICM) is responsible for producing an annual public report on the state of HAI and is accountable to the chief executive and the board. Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) IPC Standards (2022) Standard 1 and Standard 4 require systematic monitoring and reporting of HAI data to Board level, with compliance monitored through HIS inspections (Scottish Government, 2015-06-18; Healthcare Improvement Scotland, 2022-05-01).
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 2.2 of the Scottish Government's response specifies that the Infection Control Manager (ICM) is responsible for producing an annual report on the state of HAI, decontamination, and cleaning in the NHS board and releasing it publicly. The ICM is also stated to be accountable directly to the chief executive and the board, confirming their responsibility for reporting on HAI to the board.

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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
01 May 2022
Healthcare Improvement Scotland Other

HIS IPC Standards (2022) Standard 1 addresses IPC reporting to boards. Standard 4 (Assurance and Monitoring) requires systematic monitoring and reporting of HAI data to Board level.

View detailed findings

National standards provide the framework. Board-level compliance is monitored through HIS inspections.

HIS IPC Standards - Standards 1 and 4, May 2022 View Source
Source
Inquiry Vale of Leven Inquiry
Report The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report 24 Nov 2014
View Source
Responsible Bodies
NHS Health Boards (Scotland) Primary
Themes & Tags
Weak Government Accountability & Scrutiny Quality and safety oversight Infection Control Governance
Recommendation age 11.3 yrs
Last formal update 3932 days ago