Infections like MRSA kill up to 5,000 people a year

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley says hospitals are being told to "push more patients through beds" rather than concentrating on hygiene.

Mr Lansley called for a "search and destroy" strategy to clean up wards.

Dr John Reid, the health secretary, has blamed increased use of contract cleaners under the last Tory government for the rising rates of infection.

'Low levels'

Unison, the public sector trade union, has also criticised the system of contract cleaners.

The union says contracting out cleaning jobs has led to poor training, low retention levels and dirty hospitals - and it wants private contracts scrapped.

There is not a relationship between contracting out and infection control Andrew Lansley

Dr Reid said there was a 700% increase in hospital infections between 1993 and 1997.

But speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Lansley argued that the 700% figure represented an increase from "very, very low levels".

"Since 1997 the number of cases of MRSA have doubled," he said.

"The UK on the latest European estimates has the second highest levels of MRSA infection in Europe."

'Misplaced obsession'

He said over half of the worst hospitals had in-house cleaning.

"There is not a relationship between contracting out and infection control," he added.

Mr Lansley said 12% of infection control teams had asked for beds and wards to be closed for cleaning, but were overruled by managers.

This is the government's "misplaced obsession" with targets, he said.