THE cousin of a woman who died after contracting a hospital superbug says she was horrified' at the lack of antiseptic gel available when she visited Watford General.

Marion Gourd of Sandridge Road, St Albans, whose cousin Maria Kelly died of clostridium difficile (C-diff) in April after an operation in Hemel Hempstead Hospital, visited the oral surgery unit last week for a mouth examination.

She told the Review: "In the toilet, there was ordinary soap, but there wasn't any special gel.

"In other hospitals, it is next to the soap dispenser.

"I asked somebody, who said there is always some in the doctors' rooms.

"That isn't good enough. It should be in every ward, so people can wash their hands going in and out.

"Everybody should use the stuff - not just doctors and nurses, but other workers, couriers, patients and visitors.

"They have saved £50million at that hospital so why doesn't it ensure it provides the correct antiseptic gel?"

A spokesman for the trust which runs both Hemel Hempstead and Watford General hospitals said: "There are at least two gel dispensers in all surgeries, and in all consultation rooms. And there are dispensers by every sink.

"The staff always wear toggles with gel dispensers on their uniforms.

"Patients are encouraged to ask staff members if they have washed their hands.

"If a patient wants to decontaminate, it is there for them to use.

"There are no gel dispensers in the toilets, but there is always soap and water - good hand-washing is just as important.

"There is no gel in the waiting room, but it is a very small room, and there is always some nearby. In the in-patient departments, there is gel in every ward.

"Everybody, not just the clinical staff, but also the non-medical staff, know they have to use the gels every time they go in or out of a ward.

"We take infection control very seriously."