Letter: Hygiene and Telford hospital

Letter: During the last few weeks, I was visiting a very elderly friend in Telford Hospital.

The ward she was in was closed due to an outbreak of sickness and diarrhoea, Friday till Tuesday, but still with a sign on the door of the bay concerned: Enter at your own risk!

I have to say I am hardly surprised, as when dirty soiled underclothes are kept in patients' lockers (for five days in this particular case) surely this is not a good hygiene policy.

I also picked up this bug and was asked not to visit for 48 hours and to please make sure I washed my clothes! A bit late for that I think!

When I questioned this, I was told that nursing staff cannot dispose of such items without patients' consent, should the patients have to be consulted, when hygiene is of paramount importance in a hospital?

Do the powers that be really believe this to be a "good hygiene policy"?

After some time my friend was moved into rehab on ground floor and on one occasion I went in and found a sign on the wall "dirty washing", with a peg holding a carrier bag from a well known supermarket and washing on the floor under the bed. Words fail me!

The nursing care was very good.

Ann Tacchi

Madeley