THE son of an Andover woman who died after contracting MRSA has slammed NHS hospital hygiene standards.

Kathleen Francis, aged 83, of Mead Close, went into the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester for a routine hip operation but died after catching the hospital superbug.

Her son Nigel Hopkins said that while his mother was recovering from her operation he saw equipment being used on his mother and then on an-other patient without being cleaned and he saw a nurse take blood from his mother and wear the same gloves to take blood from another patient.

He said: "My mother went into hospital for a routine operation and got carried out in a body bag. The NHS service has killed my mother."

Mr Hopkins said he knew where she picked up the bug but could not prove it.

"We believe she picked it up in Winchester through poor sanitary conditions."

After the operation Kathleen was moved from Winchester to Andover War Memorial Hospital and then to the rehabilitation wing of Copper Beech residential home in Andover.

Mr Hopkins said he feels let down by the NHS because it took doctors four days to decide whether to admit Mrs Francis back to Winchester and according to him another ten days to tell them what was wrong. Mrs Francis died from MRSA septicaemia in Winchester, which Mr Hopkins said was contracted through her bedsores.

A spokesman for the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare Trust said: "On the basis of existing published data Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Trust, has a low rate of serious MRSA infection. We take the issue of MRSA infection and management very seriously, screening patients who are due to undergo higher risk procedures and managing them on the basis of this."

The spokesman added: "It is with regret however that we still have small numbers of serious MRSA infections."

Through ITN and the Angela Rippon Show on the ITV News Channel Mr Hopkins has told his story to raise awareness about MRSA - encouraging Government ministers into action.

This week Health Secretary John Reid unveiled new plans to beat the MRSA epidemic.

Patients will be encouraged to ask hospital staff if they have washed their hands and antiseptic wipes will be placed at bedsides. Infection rate tables will be displayed at the entrances of hospitals to encourage staff to stay clean and patients will be able to use bedside phones to complain to hospital cleaners.