Blitz on MRSA 'is doomed to failure'

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They say his initiatives are "pandering to populism" and will have no effect on the rate of MRSA and clostridium difficile infection.

This week, the Prime Minister said hospitals would undergo a "deep clean", to help root out disease. This would include hard-to-reach places such as ceilings and ventilation ducts.

And earlier this month, it was announced that doctors' coats would be replaced by short sleeves to reduce the risk of bugs being transferred from patient to patient.

But in an editorial in the medical journal Lancet, doctors said: "Disinfection of high-touch surfaces is what is needed, more so than removing visible dirt.

"The public understandably wants clean wards and crisp uniforms, but politicians must stop pandering to populism about hospital cleanliness and listen to the evidence."

They said more time should instead be spent making sure doctors, nurses and visitors wash their hands properly.

Latest figures show that cases of MRSA are decreasing, but clostridium difficile (C. diff) is on the rise.

There were 15,592 reported cases of C. diff in patients over 65 in England, in the first quarter of 2007 - up 2 per cent on the same period last year.

The Chief Nursing Officer, Professor Christine Beasley, said Mr Brown's cleaning plans "are part of a wider set of measures to reduce hospital-acquired infections".

"Clean and tidy hospitals and staff are very important to patients," she said.