WITH all the recent press coverage concerning the spread of hospital born infections particularly MRSA I wanted to write and voice my opinions on this subject.

Over the past 12 months my husband has been a regular visitor to the Royal United Hospital, Bath.

On each occasion the wards that he has been admitted to have carried large notices at the entrance informing persons that upon entering and leaving the wards to use the Sterilium hand wash supplied to disinfect their hands, thereby reducing the risk of spreading viral gastroenteritis.

As a mother of young children I was particularly keen to minimise any risks and so duly scrubbed my hands, a simple procedure involving squirting some blue liquid rub into the hands and rubbing all over, quite simple, even my 18-month-old can do it.

So why then, was I witness to several people entering and leaving wards not adhering to this policy.

Is it that difficult to do so or perhaps it is too much like hard work?

As if that was not bad enough, I also saw several nursing staff, doctors included, also eluding the hand wash.

I know it may seem like a chore and perhaps you don't even like the smell of it, but MRSA and viral gastroenteritis are particularly nasty infections which are easily spread and highly contagious and it is because simple barrier hygiene methods like this are not being met.

Two years ago my grandfather contracted MRSA while in hospital.

From my observations of the way in which waste was disposed and cleared it was no wonder.

However, we, his family, were not even highlighted to the fact that he had tested positive for MRSA until a week later, so in the meantime we were removing his soiled washing to take home to wash unaware that in doing so we were under threat of contracting it ourselves.

I think it was only pure luck more than anything else that we did not.

It is no good the general public moaning about the cleanliness of our hospitals if they are not also prepared to do what is necessary to minimise the risks.

So I ask one simple thing.

If you visit someone in hospital, or you are a patient, please make sure that every time you enter or leave the ward and Sterilium is available, please use it, otherwise you are risking the health of ill and vulnerable people, children included.

MRS SJ DARLING

Trowbridge