PRIVATE companies will no longer hold cleaning contracts at West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust following criticism about standards.But there is to be no change at the moment to contracts at Ipswich Hospital despite recent revelations of dirty wards and toilets.

PRIVATE companies will no longer hold cleaning contracts at West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust following criticism about standards.

But there is to be no change at the moment to contracts at Ipswich Hospital despite recent revelations of dirty wards and toilets.

Bosses at West Suffolk have now brought cleaning services back in house after seven years of contracting them out in 1995.

Chief executive John Parkes said: "This is a very important and positive move.

"There has been recent criticism of some of our cleaning standards and managing plus motivating our own staff will result in improved services, this will be achieved through greater team working."

However a spokeswoman for Ipswich Hospital said that although contracts are put out to tender regularly no in house team had ever come forward to take over the role.

Last month the Evening Star revealed how sisters Eve Rumsby and Jenny Townes claimed their father 88-year-old Ernie Smith died in poor conditions at Ipswich Hospital.

Although the hospital strenuously denied that the wards were dirty, it was claimed that Mr Smith picked up a hospital infection called clostridium difficile during his stay in April.

However, environment assessment teams carrying out random spot checks at the hospital - not in relation to the complaints - gave the wards a clean bill of health, saying what they saw was of a good standard.

Ms Rowsell said: "There are rigorous guidelines in place for the awarding of all contracts.

"We invite anyone to come forward who would like to put together a tender.

"But we did not have an expression of interest from anyone in house."

She added that all contracts are closely monitored to make sure companies are achieving what they are supposed to.