A marked improvement in hospital hygiene standards was disclosed yesterday.
A total of 32 hospitals received a "good" rating in the second national hospital hygiene audit which was conducted this year. This compares to just five who achieved a similar standard in the first audit last year.
Minister for Health Mary Harney praised the improvements, and stressed that patients "rightly expected and are entitled to be treated in clean hospitals".
She expected that every hospital would shortly achieve the minimum high standards of 85 per cent in the national hygiene audit. "It's not a resources issue; it's a management and focus issue."
She said the aim was to deliver "a world-class health system", and one euro in every four spent by the Government was now going to healthcare. "We are changing the way we do business to get the best possible outcome for patients."
The Minister was speaking at a ceremony in Dublin to present awards to three hospitals which achieved high standards of hygiene.
The Irish Patients' Association (IPA) initiated the hygiene audit and awards scheme in 2005.
"Hygiene is one of a number of activities that must be mastered to overcome hospital-acquired infections, particularly MRSA," said Stephen McMahon of the IPA.
St Luke's Hospital, Rathgar, Dublin, won the top award in the audit of acute hospitals for spring 2006, scoring 95 per cent across all categories.
Lorcan Birthistle, CEO of St Luke's, said the award was down to a team effort and hard work by the hospital's contract cleaners, nurses, other staff and patients.
The top award for 2005 was presented to Mallow General Hospital, while the award for the best improvement in hygiene standards since the first audit went to the Midland Hospital in Mullingar.
Mary Owens, director of nursing at Mallow General Hospital, said they were "absolutely delighted" to win the award. Mallow was a small hospital with very little resources. "We could do with a lot more, especially for our proposed day unit."
Dr Mary Hynes, of the Health Service Executive, said the health service was all about patients.
"An award from patients to us is very valuable indeed. A clean, tidy, well-maintained, hygienic hospital environment is a very basic but very essential part of the delivery of healthcare."
After yesterday's ceremony, Joseph Guilfoyle, a patient at St Luke's, handed Ms Harney a petition containing signatures of 2,000 people who are opposing the transfer in 2011 of radiotherapy services at St Luke's to St James's Hospital in Dublin.
