21 NHS trusts failing over hygiene

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All trusts were told they had to meet Government standards on cleanliness as part of their registration with the new Care Quality Commission (CQC).

It was revealed that 10 acute hospital trusts, six primary care trusts, four mental health care trusts and one ambulance trust have had conditions placed on their registration as a result of failing to meet the criteria fully.

Of these, four are NHS foundation trusts.

Fears over the regulation of foundation trusts were raised last month after it emerged Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust had been awarded the status - a supposed marker of excellence - despite concerns over its high death rates.

The Healthcare Commission published a damning report on "appalling standards" of care at Mid Staffs, which put patients at risk. Between 400 and 1,200 more people died at the trust than would have been expected between April 2005 and March 2008.

The data showed some trusts had been given a deadline for taking action to meet hygiene standards while others have ongoing conditions on their registration, such as the need to keep wards clean.

Examples include ensuring the decontamination of surgical equipment is up to scratch and developing tighter policies to tackle infections like MRSA, Clostridium difficile and legionella, which causes legionnaires' disease.

The conditions are legally enforceable. Failure to act means trusts could be issued with warning notices and fines, or face prosecution or closure. Overall, 388 NHS trusts have been registered with the CQC.

A Department of Health spokesman said the small percentage of trusts which had conditions placed on their registration have improvement plans already in place, agreed with the CQC. He added: "We expect those trusts to rapidly improve the safety of the services provided and deliver a high quality of care as expected by all patients."