Fighting the superbugs

REGARDING the article 'Single rooms only to beat NHS superbugs' (June 29) they could build single person hospitals and it wouldn't work as there are simply not enough cleaners.

My wife has worked in the NHS for many years, first as a cleaner and then as an auxiliary nurse. While she never talks about patients, a big bugbear with her and the other nursing staff is cleanliness. They are fed up with the media always going on about hand washing but forgetting about the cleanliness of the wards.

When she started cleaning, there were always at least two cleaning staff on at one time, and with a matron/sister in charge in 'her' ward things were kept clean. Now you are lucky if you see one cleaner in each ward.

Until NHS mandarins get back to giving cleaning the priority it deserves and spend money to hire and train good staff, nothing will improve.

Deep cleaning would not be required if it was done on a regular basis by well trained, paid, and equipped staff who have an interest in the work.

Name and address withheld