R58 Response Accepted

Lay representation on IPC committee

Recommendation

Health Boards should ensure that there is lay representation at Board infection prevention and control committee level in keeping with local policy on public involvement.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The Scottish Government published its response to the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report on 18 June 2015, accepting all 75 recommendations and establishing an Implementation Group chaired by the Chief Nursing Officer (Scottish Government Response, June 2015).
- The HAI Standards require NHS boards to maintain IPC governance structures with regular meetings, appropriate reporting lines, and lay involvement. The requirement that there is lay representation at Board IPC committee level is embedded in the governance framework monitored by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
- The Scottish Government's response outlined the requirement for IPC governance at all organisational levels, from ward-based teams through to the board, with the ICM responsible for ensuring effective governance structures are in place.
- The NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 requires NHS boards to involve patients and public in decision-making, which includes representation on governance committees including those dealing with IPC.
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The evidence above reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Response
Accepted
Accepted Scottish Government
18 Jun 2015

Section 2.1 of the Scottish Government's response outlines several initiatives to ensure patient and public involvement, including the National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2004, which requires NHS boards to involve the public in service planning and design. The Scottish Health Council and the Participation Standard monitor and drive improvement in public involvement, while public partnership forums serve as a link between communities and health services. These mechanisms support the inclusion of lay representation at various levels, including infection prevention and control committees.

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Published Evidence

Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Good Progress
01 May 2022
Healthcare Improvement Scotland Other

HIS IPC Standards (2022) address governance requirements. Scottish Government public involvement standards require patient and public representation in NHS governance.

View detailed findings

National standards and governance frameworks support lay representation at IPC committee level.

HIS IPC Standards, 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 Informal user feedback Public Involvement Governance
Recommendation age 11.5 yrs
Last formal update 4000 days ago