A third of hospital patients are being seen by doctors who have not washed their hands properly, a survey of hygiene in Kent's hospitals reveals.

Kent Local Improvement Network's (LINk) latest cleanliness report shows in only 66% of cases were doctors following correct procedures, with nurses in just 57% of cases following protocol.

The findings were described by some NHS trusts as "disappointing".

Kent LINk carried out a number of unannounced visits to five of the county's hospitals – Maidstone General Hospital, Medway Maritime Hospital, Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford, and St Martin's Hospital, Canterbury – in March and April last year, when they checked hand hygiene at patients' bedsides.

They also looked at the cleanliness of commodes and checked bedrooms, bathrooms and office areas for bacteria.

At Medway Maritime Hospital, inspectors found a soiled gown and a towel left in a bowl, as well as a toilet floor covered in partly eaten food.

There was a damp smell at St Martin's Hospital, where inspectors also found a dirty sink and an unclean floor.

John Fletcher, chairman or Kent LINk Governors' Group, said there had been an "improvement in hygiene standards" on the previous year, shown by the decreasing level of MRSA and the low level of Clostridium difficile (C. diff).

But he warned: "We must not be complacent as there is always room for further improvement."

Bob Deans, interim chief executive of Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, said a senior infection control nurse had visited St Martin's Hospital earlier this month to make sure issues identified in the report had been resolved.

A refurbishment project is also under way, he added, in a response to Kent LINk.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust did not address the soiled gown and a towel in its response, although Mark Devlin, chief executive, said the Trust is "committed" to reducing infection.

He described the Trust's hand hygiene results as "disappointing", as did Jenny Kay, director of nursing at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.