A HOSPITAL slammed for its poor hygiene has cleaned up its act, a health watchdog has found.

Inspectors revisited the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) in Farnborough, last month after Bromley Hospitals Trust was put in special measures in the wake of a random inspection in January.

Inspectors had found soiled commodes, bloodstains on the side rail of a bed and blood splashes on a wall as well as layers of dust in other areas of the flagship hospital.

Yesterday the Healthcare Commission issued its report and said the trust was now compliant with a Hygiene Code improvement notice ordering it to “provide and maintain a clean and appropriate environment for health care”.

Christine Braithwaite, of the Healthcare Commission, said: “The Commission re-visited Bromley Hospitals Trust on March 13 and was satisfied that the trust had taken appropriate action to address the issues identified in the improvement notice.”

As a result of the review, the trust had taken specific actions including reviewing job descriptions, providing training, introducing key performance indicators for the contract cleaning, and audits to ensure that indicators are achieved.

Jennie Hall, nurse director at Bromley Hospitals Trust, said: “The safety of our patients is of paramount importance. We continually strive to ensure good cleanliness standards and to keep hospital acquired infection rates to an absolute minimum.

“The Healthcare Commission’s improvement notice has helped us to quickly achieve hygiene standards comparable with the best nationally; Bromley residents can rightly expect no less. It has also helped raise awareness among patients, visitors and staff of the part we can all play to keep infections at bay.”

The PRUH is earmarked to become a large A&E centre for a population of about half a million people in Bromley and neighbouring boroughs under NHS London’s A picture of Health reconfiguration of services.