Dirty ambulances are responsible for the spread of MRSA and other infectious bacteria, a union has claimed.

Unison said that its investigation found that ambulance trusts followed very different cleaning practices and some got by with a “quick mop-out” and had no dedicated cleaning staff. The union called for extra funding for cleaning and mandatory rules rather than the current national guidance.

Ambulance crews questioned by the union said that targets, time and money were all to blame for the trusts’ different cleaning practices.

Crews in the North West said that they had no dedicated cleaning staff or cleaning time and that the only precaution they took was to mop out ambulances that had carried patients known to be infected with diseases such as Clostridium difficile. By contrast, vehicles operated by the London Ambulance Service were routinely cleaned by onsite staff.

Sam Oestreicher, Unison’s national officer for ambulance staff, said that ambulances should be part of the patient care package announced by the Government. “No one should have to travel or work in a dirty ambulance,” he added.

Ben Bradshaw, the Health Minister, said that there was no evidence to suggest that ambulances were a major source of infection.

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