CLEAN UP YOUR ACTS; WALES Hospitals' cleanliness judged sub-standard.

Byline: By KELLY FENNA

HOSPITALS in North Wales have been criticised after mystery inspectors found dirty toilets and bed pans, and empty hand gel dispensers.

The string of horrors was exposed by theHealthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) after a series of spot checks.

They raised concerns after superbug breeding grounds were found at hospitals coming under the umbrella of the new North Wales NHS Trust.

HIW discovered dirty commodes, bed pans and toilets at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan.

And at Wrexham Maelor Hospital germs were rife in a special medical ward set up to treat people considered by doctors to be vulnerable to infection.

But the clean-up operation has been kick-started with new campaigns and infection control measures across the trust.

At Glan Clwyd, decontamination stations have been introduced aswell as the high-profile HABITS strategy to warn staff in all departments about the spreading of germs.

Last night, clinical nurse specialist Chris Jeffrey said cleanliness had been "stepped up" at the hospital after a report by health watchdog HIW described cleaning efforts across the trust as "sub-optimal."

Despite the renewed focus on hand hygiene in the NHS, HIW also found instances of empty hand gel dispensers, and instances where patients and staff were unable to wash their hands.

But Nurse Jeffrey said the issue was being tackled with various information points and new voice activated handwash systems at the Bodelwyddan site.

The trust had enforced a clean your hands campaign and the 1,000 Lives initiative to combat the problems.

She said: "Our hospitals achieve high standards of cleanliness and infection prevention, and we have introduced a number of best practice measures that will help us to raise our standards further."

She added: "The recent HIW visit and report has re-enforced the importance of ensuring all healthcare workers comply with best practice all the time.

"We believe in sustaining all these initiatives to ensure we maintain momentum for the long term."

The random checks, which were carried out in June and July, found "suboptimal" cleanliness on a colorectal surgery ward at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, and a special medical ward at Wrexham Maelor Hospital which treats patients vulnerable to infection.

There was also risk of infection from patients using communal toiletries.

A spokesman for the North Wales NHS Trust said: "Immediate action has been taken to improve cleanliness in those areaswhere problemswere identified and staff are being reminded of the need to be thorough in their work.

"More rigorous local spot checks are also being introduced to ensure that the improved standards are maintained."

HIW started making unannounced spot checks of hospitals in Wales in 2006 amid growing public concerns about cleanliness and healthcare acquired infections, such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly Government said: "Trusts have been warned that unannounced spot checks will continue across Wales."

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Wrexham Maelor Hospital (left) and Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan, have been criticised for failing to meet strict cleanliness rules after a spot-check