LOSING a loved one is never easy but it can be made all the more difficult when the circumstances surrounding the death are not fully clear.

Relatives of the victims of Scotland's worst C.diff outbreak - at the Vale of Leven Hospital - have had to wait five years for their many questions to be answered.

The report into the outbreak that claimed at least 34 lives was now, finally been made public. It makes for grim reading.

It found there were failings at every level, from nurses, who failed to deliver even the most basic care, to the Scottish Government, which had no proper inspection processes in place and failed to learn lessons from previous UK outbreaks.

New Health Secretary Shona Robison says levels of C.diff and MRSA are now at a record low and has pledged to improve procedures including giving inspectors the power to shut down hospital wards.

Relatives have bravely vowed to continue to fight until every one of the report's 75 recommendations have been acted upon.

It is incumbant on all concerned from health workers and managers right up to the Scottish Government to ensure that they are, and that no other family suffers the agony of an avoidable death in a place of safety.