Health Secretary Shona Robison has pledged to take all the steps needed to ensure that a tragedy such as that of the deadly Vale of Leven Clostridium difficile (C.diff) outbreak does not happen again.

Ms Robison also repeated her apology to the patients and families affected by the 2007-08 outbreak, which was the subject of a highly-critical report published this week.

She told MSPs: "The NHS failed the 34 patients who died at the Vale of Leven Hospital, it failed the patients who suffered due to the outbreak of C.diff, and it failed the families of those patients, too.

"Our NHS failed all of these patients and their families. That is deeply regrettable and I am sorry on behalf of the Scottish Government."

She added: "As the minister now responsible for the NHS, I am pledging my commitment to you today that we will take all necessary steps to ensure that a tragedy of this magnitude can never happen again."

An inquiry was set up in 2009 to investigate the treatment of patients at the West Dunbartonshire hospital.

It revealed C.diff was a factor in the death of 34 out of 143 patients who had tested positive for the infection at the hospital during the period between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2008.

Inquiry chairman Lord MacLean said the true figure could be higher still, as medical records were not available for all the patients who died during the period.

He found "serious personal and systemic failures", stating that patients had been "badly let down" by people at different levels of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

"The Scottish ministers bear ultimate responsibility for NHS Scotland and, even at the level of the Scottish Government, systems were simply not adequate to tackle effectively a healthcare- associated infection like CDI," he said.

Ms Robison said the Government accepted all 75 of Lord MacLean's recommendations.

She said many of the recommendations have been completed, or are already under way, and an implementation group will ensure the remainder are put in place.

Ms Robison said a national healthcare-associated infections taskforce was in place to improve and reduce hospital acquired infections.

In 2009 a process was established to undertake snap inspections while a "robust system", enabling health boards to recognise and manage outbreaks as they happen, has also been established.

caroline.wilson@eveningtimes.co.uk