Things aren't much better in the States. Last year I was hospitalized in a private hospital with a life threatening incident. The conditions were deplorable...my bathroom was filthy with urine and feces all over it, the nursing staff was unresponsive to my lack of bowel control and let me lay in my own mess sometimes for over an hour at a time. (Despite my very real pleas for help, they later chastised me for creating a disturbance!) Thank goodness that a friend of mine raised holy hell and they finally straightened up their hygiene and their bedside manners.

Edward Reinhardt, Tampa, USA/Florida

Re the comments of Peter in South Molton, I contracted this bug at the end of 2004 in a Canadian hospital. Unfortunately hospitals do not want to keep patients with this bug in their facilities. I was in my early 60s when I contracted C Diff, and it takes a long, long time to recover from. A patient can be rid of the infection according to tests, but the intestinal system takes many months to recover from it and sadly, the elderly often do not recover. They just do not have the fortitude. My own experience was almost a year of suffering, (with 6 days in hospital) and my present condition, almost three years later is still not as before. However, I am thankful to be alive and yes ... hospitals everywhere need to step up their infection control and the general public needs to be aware of the importance of all doctors and nurses washing their hands from patient to patient. The responsibility lies with everyone that enters a hospital's doors.

Anne, Ontario,

If this had been a private hospital it would have been closed down, but because it belongs to the state nothing happens, everyone gets a big payoff, and goes onto the next well paid job where they can practice their incompetence at our expense. I cannot understand what the doctors and consultants were doing allowing this sort of thing to go on - did they have no eyes? What kind of nurses did they employ?
Why can the people of this country not have a modern efficient health service as do those in other developed countries in the EU? Why, for obscure ideological reasons must we have a North Korean system of healthcare imposed on us? We don't see people in France and Germany rolling around dying in the gutters bleating about inequality of access? What knowledge of health matters can an ex-postman have? I wouldn't want the architect down the road to run the healkth service, and similarly have no wish to see Alan Johnson running it.

Peter, Cambridge, Cambridge,

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,. however i fail to see how the responsibility of cleanliness can be solely on the chief executive. Hundreds of people visit hospitals on a daily basis, increasing the risk of infections, it is not the responsibility of the chief executive to ensure that EVERY person in a hospital is following basic hygiene rules. All a chief exec can do is emphasize the importance of it, they can not possibly be everywhere at once making sure people are washing their hands at every opportunity.
I think people should look into the facts rather than throwing accusations!

Emily , Kent,

Sadly, today the NHS is run for the benefit of its employee's and not the patients.
We employ nurses with totally useless BA(Hons) degrees, who believe it is beneath their dignity to become involved with the patients: additionally, they are overpaid for what they actually do - which is precious little. Furthermore, a case arose recently in our local hospital where a 'specialist' agency nurse was paid £1000.00 for a single 8 hour shift during the Christmas period.
What we really need if matters are to improve are REAL nurses, NOT face-painted prima-donnas!

Desmond, Barnstaple, Devon

Charges should be brought from the Chief Executive down to Senior management level. More than 90 people lost their lives as a result of managerial incompetence.

Weversend, Harrogate,

This is appaling. But it is also what happens when you let people schooled in management lingo and spin running hospitals. Let doctors run hospitals - and to hell with the bean counters and lawyers who have turned the setup into a mess.

Then - let hospitals hire and train their own cleaning staff, pay them decently and let them work with the epidemiologists. Give them the time to clean the premises properly each day and forget about stop-watch targets.

It has been done before - and it worked.

And finally: Ban the use of anti-biotics as a growth enhancer in the agricultural sector.

Victor, Berlin, Germany

It appears necessary to take action against hospital managers as the current situation must be addressed and it likely that the possibility of criminal prosecution will stop such neglect of basic hygiene on the wards

Dr Howard Bloom, Charlwood Surrey,

It is obvious that breaches of contracts have occurred throughout the NHS, from the lowly student nurse to the Trust Director. Perhaps a few jail sentences or being struck off for dereliction of duty and taking money (salaries) under false pretenses might perk them up a bit.
My mother, an ex nurse was appalled by ward standards when she went in for a routine op recently. It was only when I mentioned in a loud voice that Sister could hear that I knew a good solicitor for suing the hospital that standards suddenly improved.

Finn, Aberdeen,

edmund i do agree with your comments apart from the option of (b) we do pay for it through taxation unfortunatly it's the privatisation that has involved the over allocation of needless managers and pen pushers who do nothing but produce graphs and charts to try and validate there existance.

Get rid of the cash gobbling managers and get bacl to the number one priority? Patient care...

K. Weddell, Edinburgh, UK

This situation is absolutely scandalous. I was booked to have surgery next month. But I was utterly appalled by the lack of basic hygine when I visited the hospital (in a suburb of London) where the operation was due to be carried out. I have now made arrangements to have the procedure done at a hospital in Belgium instead. The quality of healthcare and hospital hygene over there is first class. It makes the NHS hospital look like something out of the Crimean War by comparison. My op is covered by the NHS on a reciprocal agreement with Belgium. I would urge anyone in a similar situation as me to do the same.

Joe, East London, UK

I can't imagine a more shameful dereliction of duty than telling a sick person to "go in their bed". It does not make the slightest difference if it is easier for the nurses. Patients are first and foremost human beings and have the right to maintain some privacy and personal pride however sick they are.

Rosie, Upminster,