St George's Hospital has been named one of the worst hospitals in London when it comes to its patients contracting a potentially-killer bacteria.

The NHS Trust has been ranked fourth worst in the country, and second worst in the capital, among specialist hospitals, for infection of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Last year there were 153 cases of the bacteria recorded at the Tooting hospital.

A Department of Health (DoH) report shows the hospital has an infection rate of 0.35 cases of MRSA per 1,000 days patients spend in bed.

A spokesman for St George's was unable to confirm whether any of the cases proved to be fatal.

The report adds patients at specialist hospitals like St George's are more prone to the bacteria because it is blood borne and because more intrusive surgery is performed there giving rise to a greater risk of infection.

Last September the hospital was given just one star out of a potential three under a new rating system introduced by the DoH partly due to failure to meet cleanliness standards.

Chairman of pressure group London Health Emergency, Geoff Martin, said the privatisation of hospital cleaning contracts and cuts are to blame: "Unless the government puts more money into improving standards of hygiene and cleanliness people will continue to pick up secondary infections in hospital. For too long cleaning has been seen as a soft touch when it comes to cuts and this is the result."

The ranking is based on infection rates at the Tooting hospital from July to September last year.

Consultant microbiologist from the hospital's infection control unit, Dr N Farrag, said: "While the Trust takes the issue of hospital acquired infection very seriously, the rate of infection at St George's needs to be put into context.

"Out of nearly 50,000 in-patients treated last year, there were 153 incidences of MRSA infection, representing 0.3 per cent."

Dr Farrag said in more than 25 per cent of cases MRSA positive patients acquired the bacteria before being admitted to St George's.

She added: "We are now undertaking a full review of our infection control policies, to see where improvements can be made in order to reduce the rate of MRSA infection"