SUPERBUG "hit squads" will carry out random checks on wards in a bid to crack down on dirty hospitals in Scotland.
Teams of "bug busters" will make unannounced inspections to monitor whether doctors and nurses are complying with cleanliness guidelines and check that patients carrying infections are being properly isolated.
Hospitals which fail to come up
to standard will be named and shamed by ministers. The move, which is being rolled out across the country over the coming months, has been launched by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon following the spread of the deadly infection C difficile through the Vale of Leven Hospital, Alexandria, Dunbartonshire earlier this year.
A total of 18 patients died and over 50 were infected with the bug, which causes severe diarrhoea and can have a devastating effect on elderly or weak patients.
Yesterday Sturgeon told Scotland on Sunday the inspections would "become the norm" for hospitals throughout the country.
It is expected that the move will put massive pressure on health boards to keep wards clean and ensure that any patients infected with superbugs do not pass the infections on to others. Sturgeon said: "Patients and their relatives must have confidence in the safety of care they receive in our hospitals.
"I was shocked by the findings of the recent inquiries into the C diff outbreak at the Vale of Leven and the tragic consequences," she added.
"Every NHS board in Scotland has been left in no doubt that what happened at the Vale was totally unacceptable. It is now up to everyone involved in our health service to stop this happening to other families, and this Government has a duty to make sure this not only happens, but is seen to be happening."
The work of the bug busters will include checking that staff are recording all cases where patients are infected, making sure the hospital buildings, wards and equipment such as sinks are fit for purpose and making sure infected patients are properly isolated.
They will also check whether staff are properly trained in handwashing procedures and monitor how thoroughly and how frequently they wash their hands.
The penalty for failing to comply with the standards will be public "naming and shaming", with the results of the inspection published by the Scottish Government in a similar way to the inspections of nurseries, schools, care homes and private hospitals.
Although there will be no financial penalties for failing boards, ultimately ministers have the powers to sack health board chairs and take control of their organisations if they consistently fail to meet general standards in health care.
