A MOTHER says she had to clean the hospital room where her son was recovering from the MRSA superbug.

Olwyn Doherty, aged 55, claims she had to wipe the floor and the sink of the side ward at the Royal Bolton Hospital because it had not been cleaned for four days.

The housekeeper at a Bolton nursing home says she even emptied the bin in her son's room on three occasions - and took the rubbish home with her.

Her son Glenn Doherty, aged 23, contracted the MRSA bug at the Royal Bolton Hospital when a wound became infected after an operation on his bowel.

Hospital chiefs have launched an inquiry into Mrs Doherty's claims that her son's room was not cleaned.

Mrs Doherty of Chester Avenue, Little Lever, said: "It was just filthy. I couldn't believe it. We only got a cleaner in the end because I demanded one and when she arrived she was shocked it had been left in such a state."

It comes as the government released its MRSA rates for England and Wales, saying they were the lowest since records began in 2001.

From April to September last year the Royal Bolton Hospital recorded 14 cases of the bug, one of the lowest in the country.

Mr Doherty, suffers from Crohn's Disease, an inflammatory bowel condition, and was taken into the hospital in January for an operation which would give him a temporary colostomy bag. However, he later needed a full colostomy in February and had a cut from his stomach to his groin.

The staples from the wound were removed four days after the operation but the wound became infected. A swab revealed he had MRSA.

Mr Doherty, a fork lift truck driver, has now returned home and is recovering from the effects of the superbug.

He said: "I used to really rate the NHS because the treatment I have received for my condition was always good. But they are low in my estimation now.

"I felt that I wasn't looked after very well at all."

Mrs Doherty, who has two NVQs in cleaning, said: "I was on the verge of taking my own cleaning products in until the day the cleaner came. One day Glenn's colostomy bag spilt on the floor. The nurse wiped up the mess with a cloth but no one came in to mop the floor. It stayed like that for days.

"I emptied the bin three times and took the rubbish home.

"Glenn has been in so much pain and he hasn't had the aftercare that any person in hospital deserves. The whole experience has been awful."

Heather Edwards, Head of Communications at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said: "We're extremely concerned to hear what Mr Doherty and his mother have said about the lack of cleaning during his stay on a side ward and are looking into this as a matter of urgency. If they would like to contact the hospital directly to discuss their concerns we will be happy to hear from them.

"Cleanliness and MRSA are issues which matter to patients and staff alike and at the Royal Bolton Hospital we have introduced a number of measures to improve matters. This includes a wide ranging Clean Hands Campaign. Our MRSA rates have improved - latest figures released yesterday show that in the six months from April to September 2004 the number of cases dropped to 14 from 18 in the same period in 2003.

"Nonetheless, we recognise that there is a lot more to be done and we're determined to bring those figures down as far as we possibly can."

The experience has left Glenn two-and-a half stones lighter than when he was first admitted to hospital in January, when he weighed more than 13 stones.

A spokesman for contract cleaners ISS Mediclean said: "ISS Mediclean shares the concerns of the hospital in the issues raised by Mr Doherty, and a full investigation is currently underway.

"ISS Mediclean cannot go into detail about an individual patient but our professional assessors have inspected the wards affected by these complaints today and the standards of cleanliness found to be satisfactory. The claim that a patient related room was not cleaned at all for several days is denied.

"The company takes its responsibilities very seriously and is working closely with the hospital on a number of initiatives including a Clean Your Hands campaign; to help reduce the incidents of hospital acquired infections."

FACTFILE

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and is a strain of the staphylococcus bacteria which is resistant to antibiotics;

There are 17 strains of MRSA and most of the population carry MRSA on their skin;

MRSA can affect surgical wounds, burns, eyes, skin and blood;

Infections can result in redness, swelling and tenderness though many people have no symptoms;

MRSA is more common in hospitals because patients are likely to have low immune systems and because they are treated by doctors and nurses who are in close contact with many other patients and;

Measures have been implemented in hospitals across the UK to prevent MRSA. Staff and visitors are now asked to wash their hands using an alcohol based gel when entering a ward and visitors are not allowed to sit on beds.