A SCOTTISH health board has been ordered to improve some of its infection control work after inspectors spotted six incidents where staff failed to wash their hands properly.

A surgeon, hospital porter and phlebotomists, who take blood from patients, were among the workers at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow who did not properly adhere to guidance on hand hygiene.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate, which carried out the unannounced visit on February 7, said that while most areas of the hospital were clean, one ward had dirty bed rails, including one which was contaminated with blood. Patient call bells in the diabetes and endocrinology ward were dirty and stained.

Susan Brimelow, HEI chief inspector, said "The majority of areas inspected were of a good standard of cleanliness.

"However, we also found some areas requiring improvement including that the standard operating procedure for the cleaning of healthcare equipment near patients must be understood by staff and fully implemented."

The Health Protection Scotland figures last year showed doctors and surgeons in Scotland were still failing to meet hand hygiene targets set out to tackle superbugs.