THE HYGIENE habits of nurses at the West Middlesex Hospital were again called into question this week, after the Times learnt of a catalogue of disturbing practices that have allegedly been occurring.

A resident closely linked to the hospital, contacted the Times after he learnt that nurses had been told to be sparing with water when washing their hands as "water was expensive."

He also claims that the single use disposable equipment is being reused rather than disposed of immediately.

On the administration side, he had also claimed to have heard of two worrying plans, the first of which was to reduce the nursing staff and increase the number of co-ordinators, while the second was that there were negotiations being conducted by the hospital with doctors to try and reduce the quotas of people they can refer for treatment.

The resident commented: "I am amazed at the state the West Mid is in. When it got such a bad review recently from the government, the fact that it would be considering replacing front line nurses with coordinators is a disgrace.

"If they are renegotiating the contracts with the doctors, where will doctors send their sick patients? Straight to the undertakers? If they can't run it, shut it down and turn it into a hotel, it is certainly not a good hospital. There are abattoirs cleaner than the West Mid."

However, a spokeswoman for the West Middlesex Trust denied all the allegations, commenting: "Nurses always wash their hands between patients. The cost of water is absolutely irrelevant. Disposable equipment is never reused and is always disposed of promptly following use."

On the issue of staffing they also denied the allegations: "We are not reducing the number of nursing staff in favour of co-ordinators' We are committed to recruit and retain to our full complement of nurses.

"The role of senior nurses, or modern matrons' is critical in this. Following a successful recruitment campaign most senior nursing posts have been filled providing enhanced clinical leadership for nurses.

"We have strict infection control measures in place which cover procedures such as washing hands between patients, wearing gloves and aprons when treating patients with known infections, and disposing of equipment immediately after use. Hand basins are provided in each ward area and disinfectant rubs are available at the end of each bed."