A HAMPSHIRE family is demanding answers following the death of two elderly relatives within a month in the same room at a Hampshire hospital.

Brian Read, a retired policeman, has accused health chiefs of poor nursing care which contributed to the death of his mother Audrey in January and father in law in February.

Both relatives had serious hospital-acquired infections yet neither appeared on the death certificates.

Mr Read, 58, said his mother, 80, acquired clostridium difficile forcing her family to wear gloves and gowns when they visited her at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

He said his father in law, aged 86, who he declined to name for family reasons, got MRSA as well.

His father in law was placed in the room where Mrs Read had died only hours earlier.

Mr Read said that raises questions about whether the hospital had had time to properly clean the room to minimise the risk of reinfection.

He said his father in law was a very ill man but Mrs Read, of Tichborne Road, Eastleigh, "would still be alive today if she had not gone in to hospital."

"The care she received was at best shoddy and at worst negligent. While she was in hospital we put forward a number of complaints and were time and time again, ignored. The care considering she was blind and disabled was abysmal.

"Food was put in front of her. She hadn't got a clue it was there. When someone came to feed her it was cold.

"A care worker put her coat on and went for a break when my mother needed a commode. She was given too much water which ran the risk of renal failure."

Mr Read, a former police motorcyclist, of Stopples Lane, Hordle, near Lymington, said he was pressing for an explanation from the hospital but without success.

Mr Read also raised doubts about the reporting of hospital infections. "It seems strange that two members of an extended family both catch infections and neither appears on death certificates. How many more are there?"

Desmond Swayne, MP for New Forest West, said: "He should have had answers.

"I have written to the hospital asking for an explanation and answers to his perfectly legitimate questions."

A spokeswoman for Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Healthcare Trust denied there was a cover-up over infections: "It would not be in our interests to cover that up. It is important to get an accurate picture."

In a statement, the trust added: "We would like to apologise for not responding quickly enough to queries from Mrs Read's family. A senior consultant will meet her family next week to go through any outstanding queries.

"We are sorry that Mrs Read's care fell below our usual standards. Feedback from the recent inpatient survey showed that patients were complimentary about our care.

"The trust has implemented a new policy for the use of antibiotics which will help to reduce the risk of Clostridium Difficile.

"Ward staff are reviewing all aspects of their care to ensure it's of the standard that our patients expect and deserve. This is an absolute priority for the trust."