Poor working practices and a lack of hygiene have been blamed for the rise in hospital "superbugs".

A report from the National Audit Office published on Wednesday found that the number of blood infections caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bug had increased by eight per cent between 2001/02 and 2003/04, of which 40 per cent were the potentially fatal MRSA.

The rise makes MRSA infection rates in British hospitals the worst in Europe.

Recommendations included obligatory induction of training in infection control for all hospital staff.

The study also calls for co-operation between the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency to speed up the development of a national mandatory surveillance of hospital-acquired infections and increased public awareness of good infection control practices through NHS trusts.

"The Department of Health has made important progress in raising the profile in NHS trusts of the control of hospital-acquired infection, culminating in its key publication, winning ways," said auditor general Sir John Bourn.

"However, I am concerned that, four years on from my original report, the NHS still does not have a proper grasp of the extent and cost of hospital-acquired infection in trusts.

"The war against hospital-acquired infection must be pursued on many different fronts: ranging from tackling the factors which inhibit good practice, including a more robust approach to antibiotic prescribing and hospital hygiene, though instituting a system of mandatory surveillance, to persuading all NHS staff to take responsibility for, and contribute towards, effective infection control."

'Bleak' outlook

Edward Leigh, chairman of the public accounts committee, described the report's finding as "bleak".

"It is outrageous that, four years on from its original report, the NAO is still highlighting problems of poor hospital cleanliness, lax hand-washing practices among clinical staff, under-resourced infection control teams and a general culture among NHS staff of thinking that good infection control practice is somebody else's problem," he said.

"People in hospital for treatment should not have to fear catching a possibly deadly infection while they are there.

"They should certainly not have to wait another four years for the NHS to stop sitting on its hands and start taking serious and effective action to improve hospital acquired infection rates."

Health secretary John Reid earlier this week launched a new initiative aimed at tackling the problem of MRSA.

"It is clear from today's National Audit Office report that some parts of the NHS have to do more to control this threat and match the achievements of hospitals which maintain low MRSA rates," he said.

"The NAO report is an important reminder that everyone in the NHS needs to keep infection control at the top of their agenda."

But shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley described the situation as "scandalous".

"After 20 separate initiatives since the last damning report from the NAO, it is scandalous that the same problems are being highlighted and that we are still unaware as to the true scale and cost of hospital-acquired infections," he said.

"Thousands of lives have been lost yet the government's plans may amount to nothing.

"Hospitals need to be given real freedoms if hygiene levels are to improve: freedoms to introduce initiatives, improve facilities, and to balance competing priorities, such as waiting lists and safe bed occupancy levels, without risking the wrath of Whitehall."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Paul Burstow also placed the blame on the government.

"The report is a damning indictment of the abject failure of the government to stem the rising tide of infection in the NHS," he said.

"Infection control staff are poorly resourced and lack the authority to do the job.  It is shocking that one in four hospitals have cut their spending on infection control in the last four years.

"The dangerous shortage of isolation facilities in the NHS highlighted in the report is a scandal.

"Despite repeated questioning ministers haven't got a clue how many isolation facilities let alone what plans there are to add more."