Vale of Leven commemorative scholarship

Health Secretary Shona Robison has announced a commemorative scholarship and improvement fund to remember those who died as a result of the C. diff outbreak at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

The Vale of Leven Inspiring Care Scholarship provides £25,000 for nurses from both the acute and community sectors to complete research into improving patient care, in line with recommendations made by the Vale of Leven Inquiry, and share their findings with colleagues across Scotland.

The Vale of Leven Improving Care Legacy is a £50,000 fund for individual nurses or teams to undertake quality improvement leadership training. As with the scholarship, projects will focus on demonstrable improvements to patient care, and those taking part must share their learning both locally and nationally.Making the announcement at the Stepping Into The Future event hosted by the Chief Nursing Officer, Ms Robison said:

“I’m pleased to be able to confirm this scholarship programme and improvement project fund to recognise the survivors and in memory of those who died at the Vale of Leven Hospital.

“We’ve engaged closely with patients and their families throughout this process and they agree that this is a fitting and enduring legacy; one which will continue to drive improvements in practice well into the future.

“Significant improvements have already been made since the Vale of Leven hospital outbreak in 2007, particularly around infection prevention and control measures, but more can be done to achieve our aim of a world class health service.

“It’s important to me that these tragic events ultimately lead to meaningful improvements in patient care. These programmes will equip nurses with research evidence and skills to bring into the wider workforce, continually improving the safety of the healthcare environment for everyone.”

Scotland’s Chief Nursing Officer and Chair of the Vale of Leven Implementation Group, Professor Fiona McQueen said:

“Nurses in Scotland do extraordinary work every day and the profession has grown and developed over the years. As we move through the 21st century we nurses must be confident in becoming ‘nurses of tomorrow’ and the nurses taking part in this improvement programme and, crucially, sharing their learning with their colleagues across the country, will play an important role in that. I look forward very much to hearing about their experiences.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the family members who are part of the Vale of Leven implementation group for their valued contribution and thoughtful challenge to this work. They provide us with a very grounded view of what happened and why we need to learn from events, and these scholarships will provide focussed opportunities for nurses to look at what the recommendations mean for their practice.”

Application details will be released next week.