Local successes were highlighted today in the wake of disappointing numbers of staff completing the course at Vale of Leven Hospital in the west of Scotland, where 18 patients died during an outbreak of clostridium difficile.

Families of the victims there were said to be outraged at the failure of staff to undergo the training programme. A Parliamentary question by Labour MSP Jackie Baillie revealed that between May last year and September this year just 73 of 400 staff eligible for the course at Vale of Leven had signed up for it and only 23 had completed it.

Today a spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said just under 800 local staff had completed the course, which allows learners to go at their own pace when completing the on-line, nationally developed programme.

A further 504 people are currently undergoing the programme.

“More people are registering every week,” she said.

Infection control specialist Dr Gabby Phillips has constantly stressed the single most important factor in reducing the spread of infection is hand washing.

The Cleanliness Champions programme also stresses the importance of hand hygiene and is aimed at all levels of staff, again underlining infection control is a matter for everybody.