Patients are at risk of contracting a killer bug because of poor standards of hygiene such as doctors and nurses not washing their hands properly.

West Middlesex Hospital in Twickenham Road, Hounslow was named in a new survey revealing the extent of the problem caused by the potentially fatal bacteria MRSA in Britain's hospitals.

The hospital is 21st in the national league table for the proportion of patients contracting the bug in its wards. and the sixth worst-hit hospital in London, with 0.22 patients becoming infected per 1,000 bed days.

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, claims the lives of around 5,000 NHS patients a year in England. In London the cost to the health service is an estimated £1.5million a year for treating victims and around 1,000 cancelled operations due to beds being blocked. MRSA lengthens the amount of time a patient stays in hospital by an average of 14 extra days.

A spokeswoman for West Middlesex responded to the figures, based on infections between April and September 2001, saying: "We have a continuing strategy in place to reduce MRSA risk which includes more 'hand hygiene' amongst health workers. Better facilities include access to alcohol-soaked hand rubs. We are also improving the level of cleaning to bring it in line with NHS cleaning standards and we have an infection control team responsible for monitoring standards of hygiene around the hospital."

Director of the Patients' Association Mike Stone said: "A lot of the problem comes down to basic standards of hygiene, like hand washing. This is not rocket science. There is evidence that doctors and nurses are not washing their hands as often as they should do."