The Conservatives have claimed that Government funding for the controversial NHS deep clean programme is a “shambles”.
Only a quarter of money allocated by the Government appears to have got to the frontline teams, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
Strategic health authorities (SHAs) can only confirm that £15.6m (27% of the original £57.5m) has been given to local NHS trusts to pay for deep cleaning, the Tories said.
And the figures suggested that some SHAs have kept back at least £12.8m that should have been to NHS Trusts.
The figures come after Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced plans last year for every NHS hospital to be scrubbed in an attempt to tackle bugs like MRSA and Clostridium difficile.
It was expected that all 1,500 hospitals in England would have been deep cleaned by the end of March.
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: “Gordon Brown’s ‘deep cleaning’ programme has been a shambles from start to finish.
“It is appalling that Gordon Brown has broken his promise to fund it and now the local NHS has ended up footing the bill.
“Every penny spent on this programme is a penny taken away from their local health priorities.”
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