WHEN I was a child, more than half a century ago, I can remember I was expected to wash my hands after coming in from the street after play or school, as the outside world was a"dirty place"full of lurking bugs which could make you sick.

Not to wash your hands after going to the loo was unheard of, and I could not imagine touching food after using the loo and not washing my hands.

l became a nurse and a theatre nurse. l used to play "sterile not sterile" games with various objects. Then it was mandatory to wash your hands after coming in contact with a patient.

Even if you finished with patients, you still washed your hands after the last one as a protection towards yourelf.

Uniforms were not worn outside the hospital, sitting on a patient's bed was strongly discouraged, and medical staff washed hands after each patient they came in contact with.

I clearly remember my constantly chaffed hands and the patients would reprimand you if they noticed that you did not wash your hands.

May I ask anyone with recent hospital experience: did you notice such practice being adhered to in the wards, in the accident and emergency department, or even in ICU?

Lister was the inventor of asepsis. How far did we stray from the simple rules, and why are we surprised that MRSA spreads like wildfire when we touch our food or our ailing loved ones with contaminated hands?

It is easy to blame contract cleaners. They only clean with the materials provided and during the time allocated.

It is correct that MRSA is encouraged by not obligating the staff, nursing or otherwise, with patient contact, to wash their hands. Non-compliance should not be tolerated.

Bring back Matron? By all means, but only if you will allow her to enforce these practices.

Maria Fazekas

Church Road

Bolton