ON Friday's front page you reported the reaction of John Rostill, the chief executive of Worcester Royal Hospital to the discovery of The Sun that MRSA is allegedly evident in public areas of Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Mr Rostill's reaction was dutifully defensive, but the terrifying truth is that in the UK, many thousands of patients each year contract MRSA, and perhaps as many as a thousand will die. Many who survive will endure disability and seemingly interminable recurrences. Yes, MRSA is present in many places, but in a hospital there should be painstaking efforts made to keep it out.

Indeed, The Sun are doing us all a service (even though of course, they wish to increase circulation) . Far too many of the health service standards are assessed on the basis of visits that are notified in advance, and that doesnt secure a true picture.

The methodology should be up to scratch, but if The Sun really has found MRSA to the extent claimed, then questions arise such as how often, and how effective are the cleaning practices. How often does the hospitals own lab conduct similar tests?

There is no room for complacency because MRSA is costing so many lives and causing untold suffering. Its effects bring so much extra expense to the National Health Service. People often end up coming out of hospital worse than they went in.

ANDREW BROWN,

Grenville Road,

Worcester.