Clampdown on hospital hygiene

Hygiene standards will apply to all hospitals

Hospital wards will have to meet national standards for hygiene, Health Secretary Alan Milburn has announced.

The guidance, the first for 25 years, is designed to cut the rising number of infections caught by patients while they are in hospital.

A recent National Audit Office report found that hospital-acquired infections were costing the NHS £1bn a year to treat, and kill around 5,000 patients a year.

Speaking at the Royal College of Nursing annual congress in Bournemouth, Mr Milburn said: "You can't provide high standards if the caring aspects of health are lost - or if hospital wards are dirty."

You can't provide high standards if the caring aspects of health are lost - or if hospital wards are dirty

Health Secretary Alan Milburn

The new standards have been drawn up by the Infection Control Nurses Association.

Dee May, infection control adviser for the RCN said: "Levels of cleanliness have deteriorated in recent years.

"Because cleaning services are now contracted out, ward sisters do not have any responsibility for services.

"The contracts mean hospitals try to get as much as they can for their money.

"There are huge numbers of vacancies, staff are very difficult to recruit and they are very poorly paid.

"I have seen dust under beds, cotton wool buds on the floor and dirty needles dumped in discarded meal trays.

"These guidelines are about changing the curtains around beds, cleaning the floors, cleaning bathrooms."

I have seen dust under beds, cotton wool buds on the floor and dirty needles dumped in discarded meal trays

Dee May, Infection control adviser, Royal College of Nursing

Potentially fatal infections such as MRSA are carried in dust mites and a study has shown that improving ward cleanliness can reduce infections.

The guidelines are to be sent out later this month to all hospital trusts as part of Government plans to reduce infection rates.

Ms May said cleaning workers must be trained and educated about infection control and staff numbers increased.