Brown's pledge to deep clean MRSA-hit hospitals is '£50m flash in the pan', warn contractors

In the latest blow to one of the Prime Minister's flagship health announcements, they said the money would be better spent on day-to-day hygiene improvements.

The NHS Confederation, which represents hospital managers, also expressed scepticism over whether infections would be cut.

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Mr Brown pledged last September that every NHS hospital in England would have completed the process by the end of March.

Wards would be wiped clean to an industrial standard, including hard-to-reach areas such as ceilings.

But deep cleans have so far taken place in fewer than a third of trusts, indicating that the programme is well behind schedule.

Senior doctors have condemned the programme as a one-off gimmick that will have no impact on the spread of superbugs.

Andrew Large, director general of the Cleaning and Support Services Association, the trade body representing firms responsible for much of NHS cleaning, also expressed doubts.

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'Unless there's sustained funding of day-to-day hospital cleaning, then these deep cleans will prove to be a £50million flash in the pan,' he said.

'What we have seen over the last few years is hospitals squeezing the cleaning budgets. When they are up for renegotiation we are being offered less and being told to clean things less frequently.

'For example, where we would perhaps have cleaned the tiles every week, it may be every two weeks from then on.

'It sounds like only a little thing, but when it is applied to everything it makes a difference. If this had not happened I think infection rates would be lower.

'So it now seems strange to us that we are being given contracts to carry out these deep cleans.

'You have to wonder, if the cleaning budgets had not been cut would this be necessary? There is disruption to patients as wards have to be emptied.

'In my view, it would be a better use of money - and I think our members would prefer it - if the day-to-day cleaning was funded properly.'

Nigel Edwards, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said: 'We would like policy to be based on evidence and we have picked up a degree of scepticism from a number of our members about this.'

Christine Beasley, the Government's chief nursing officer, said the £ 50million being made available was on top of day-to-day cleaning budgets.

'We do need to deep clean as part of a suite of measures,' she added.