Poor Hospital Hygiene Puts Streatham Residents At Risk - Nicholson

2.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 14th Aug 2007

Parliamentary Spokesperson for Streatham Liberal Democrats, Chris Nicholson, has expressed his dismay after a recent survey exposed shocking failures in kitchen hygiene at hospitals used by many Streatham residents.

In a national survey carried out by the Liberal Democrats, it was found that almost half of the surveyed hospital kitchens and/or canteens displayed poor standards in cleanliness. Nearly a fifth of surveyed hospitals kept food at the wrong temperature, while 11 hospitals reported problems with vermin.

Hospitals used by Streatham residents were also cited in the survey.

Mayday University Hospital in Croydon was criticised for allowing contaminated material from wards to enter the kitchen and for other general failures in cleanliness that including used syringes being left on meal trays.

The survey also revealed that St George's Hospital Tooting had experienced a problem with vermin in 2006. This admission comes after a recent report by the Health Commission which found that St George's was not meeting basic hygiene standards.

Speaking on the findings, Chris Nicholson said:

"Like any normal person I am completely appalled by the failures in kitchen hygiene this survey exposes."

"I know that many people in Streatham will have been into either Mayday or St George's hospital at some point in their lives. The thought that their food could have been prepared in such poor environments must be dreadful."

"With awareness of the MRSA superbug so high, I find it completely unacceptable that such conditions persist."