Hygiene in hospitals

A chara, – I read with interest the coverage of the HIQA report on the standards of hand hygiene among staff in St James’s Hospital (“Non-compliance with hand hygiene in hospitals getting worse”, Home News, September 20th).

I eagerly await the report on hand hygiene practices among patients and their visitors. Naturally, germs are not transported by staff alone. Furthermore, I also await the response of the private-sector contractors that are paid to clean the hospital, especially with respect to “unclean shower tray and a mould-like substance on shower tiles”. – Yours, etc,

GARETH T CLIFFORD,

Priory Grove,

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Stillorgan, Co Dublin.

Sir, – Come back, Pontius Pilate, all is forgiven. – Yours, etc,

TOM GILSENAN,

Elm Mount,

Beaumont,

Dublin 9.