A Dublin hospital has sent a written apology to a 32-year-old woman who complained after being asked to get on to a blood-stained table for a CT scan.
Heather Dolan from Glasnevin refused to get on to the table at St Vincent's Hospital until it was cleaned.
In a letter to the hospital and Minister for Health Mary Harney, Ms Dolan's father, John Dolan, said the scan operator used a tissue to remove the blood from the table but didn't wash her hands or use gloves before injecting dye into his daughter through a device already on her arm.
Her father claimed she could have been at risk of contracting blood-borne infections. "If risks such as this continue without observable corrective actions I intend to take legal advice," he wrote in a letter about this and other issues in relation to cleanliness at the hospital.
The hospital's corporate affairs manager, Mary Shore, wrote to the family last week saying she had investigated the complaint and spoken to a number of staff.
"The CT table and any other radiology equipment is routinely cleaned following any spillage of blood products or bodily fluids," she said. She added it was regretted this did not seem to happen in this case. For this the hospital "sincerely apologised".
She said the tissue used to clean up the blood was a wipe saturated with a fast-acting bacterial solution effective against MRSA and a wide range of bugs.
Mr Doyle had also complained about dust and fluff in corners and in and around beds. There had also been incidents of toilet bowls stained with faeces, he claimed. He said his daughter, a cystic fibrosis patient, was particularly vulnerable to infections.
The hospital said a new cleaning contract was being negotiated.