TWO Hampshire hospitals have been named and shamed in a report which has exposed poor cleanliness and hygiene standards in kitchens and canteens.

The shocking dossier, compiled by local authority environmental health inspectors, includes Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital and West End's Moorgreen Hospital.

At the Royal Hampshire County Hospital a food handler was seen to lick his or her fingers, wipe a plate and then eat food from a container while working on the kitchen's service line.

The inspector said: "This practice must cease immediately. The cross contamination of food, in a high risk business by food handlers' poor personal hygiene will not be tolerated.

"If any further breaches are observed then enforcement action will be taken against any individual seen to be breaking statute. In addition action may be taken against the corporate organisation."

The hospital was rated as top priority for inspection every six months.

Food hygiene standards at West End's Moorgreen Hospital have also come under fire. The report says that vehicles used to transport food trolleys to wards might also have been used to transport clinical waste. Cans of food were also left open in fridges on wards.

The report on hospital kitchen and canteen hygiene standards comes hard on the heels of a report which has revealed that the infection rates of hospital acquired superbugs are still on the rise across Hampshire.

Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, responsible for running the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, saw the number of clostridium difficile cases it dealt with increase from 128 in 2005 to 156 in 2006 - a rise of 22 per cent.

Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne, many of whose constituents use the two hospitals, said he was shocked that the Royal Hamp-shire County and Moorgreen had been criticised in the dossier.

He said: "I am horrified at the revelations about some basic standards of cleanliness and hygiene in our local hospital canteens.

"After all the problems we have had at stamping out hospital superbugs it seems beyond belief that the same basic lessons of cleanliness have still to be learnt by some key hospital staff."

He said that he would be taking up the report's findings with the local hospital chiefs.

Vanessa Bourne, from national Patients' Association, said: "There's no reason why kitchens are less important than operating theatres as far as patients are concerned. Good nutrition is a most important part of their treatment and it's important that it is safe."

Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust chief executive Martin Wakeley has reassured patients that food at the trust's hospitals is prepared in line with strict hygiene guidelines.

"Our catering staff are all up to date with their food hygiene training and they know that we take all aspects of patient safety extremely seriously.

"This incident, in December last year, was witnessed by our own catering supervisor and an inspector from Winchester City Council who was on a routine visit. We immediately took action and the person involved was disciplined. The incident was a one-off lapse of an otherwise faultless employee and so, after further training, the member of staff was allowed to continue. No further incidences will be tolerated."

He added that the trust has enjoyed a good reputation for both its cleanliness and the quality of its food. It is regularly reviewed through the Patient Environment Action Teams scheme and its most recent grading was "good".

Additionally, a recent patient survey has shown that 72 per cent of inpatients rated the quality, choice and enjoyment of the food, as either "good" or "excellent".