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The category A performance target was revised to ensure that it was both challenging yet deliverable. There has been no reduction in resources provided to the Scottish Ambulance Service, neither was the requirement to achieve efficiency savings a factor.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16185 on 18 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16185 on 18 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The Scottish Ambulance Service anticipate that the additional member of staff will be trained and in post before the end of this calendar year.

The Scottish Ambulance Service and the Scottish Government will continue to collect information and monitor performance across all parts of Scotland, including rural areas.

A critical issue in the surveillance of Clostridium difficile cases is in identifying when the number of cases in any one ward breaches an agreed control level in a defined period of time, which would indicate the need for an outbreak control team to be established. Until May 2008 and including the period between January to April 2008 when there was a peak in the new Clostridium difficile cases at the hospital, although daily monitoring of Clostridium difficile prevalence was in place, there was no agreed upper levels to alert local staff of an excess of new cases over a period.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde advise that the group is chaired by the chief executive and includes the board''s medical director, The board''s nurse director, the chief operating officer for the acute division, the head of nursing for acute services, the board''s infection control manager, the Clinical Director for the Public Health Protection Unit and the nurse consultant in infection control. This group is responsible for preparing and providing their progress reports referred to in the answer to question S3W-15692 on 17 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The monthly reports will be published on the board''s website.

Regular meetings take place between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Scottish Government Officials. The Chief Executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will provide progress reports to the chief nursing officer on a monthly basis. Greater Glasgow and Clyde will also discuss progress at their monthly cycle of board meetings. A report will come monthly to either the Performance Review Group or NHS board.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has advised that in addition to induction training as previously outlined, a training session dedicated to Clostridium difficile was provided for nursing staff at the Vale of Leven Hospital in May 2007.

Since May 2007, 73 staff from the hospital have also registered for cleanliness champion training.

Three two-hour sessions a day are also being held for the next two weeks at the hospital. This commenced on Monday 15 September 2008 with 48 staff (all staff groups) attending on the first day.

Other training to have taken place at the Vale of Leven Hospital includes a Clostridium difficile care bundle education session on 28 August 2008, infection control training for domestic staff on 27 August 2008, hand hygiene audit tool training on 5 September 2008, infection control for physiotherapists on 5 June 2008 and training on statistical process charts on 8 September 2008.