HEALTH bosses have hit out at claims over the presence of potentially deadly "superbug" MRSA in Worcestershire Royal Hospital, labelling a TV documentary "outlandish and outrageous".

But they admitted it was "disappointing" to see undercover filming had found dirt under a bed at the two-year-old hospital.

Tonight with Trevor McDonald - which was screened on ITV last night after a two-week delay - claimed that secret scientific tests found bacteria, which one expert believed was MRSA, in public areas of the hospital.

During the ITV1 programme Claire Rayner, the former agony aunt and now president of the Patients Association, described the grime under a bed in Maple ward as "shocking".

"No one has taken a broom under that bed for how long?" she queried.

But John Rostill, the hospital's chief executive, said the show had blurred the facts over the MRSA tests and that the number of cases is decreasing.

"We took samples from the areas they said they had. None of our samples was positive and we continue to reject their findings of MRSA. Had they done one further simple test they could have either excluded it or demonstrated it was positive," he said.

"To actually say the tests were in public areas where the most vulnerable patients might be is outlandish and outrageous.

Nonsensical

"It gives the impression that anybody coming into the hospital is going touch MRSA which is patently nonsensical.

"In pure cold statistical terms, this time last year we were experiencing 15 MRSA cases a quarter. For the last recorded set of figures, for the second quarter of this year, we had five, so we must be doing something right."

He added it was unclear whether the staff and visitors filmed entering wards apparently without using alcohol gel had already cleaned their hands, or were about to come into contact with patients.

But Mr Rostill said it was "clearly disappointing" to see evidence of dirt under the bed of Megan Knibb who contracted MRSA while undergoing a hip replacement at the Royal.

Mr Rostill said Mrs Knibb was allowed to bring personal belongings into the ward.

"This made it quite difficult to get some of the cleaning done. That's something we need to take into account for future long-stay patients," he added.

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