Kingston's hospitals are languishing in the bottom fifth of hospitals for patient environment and cleanliness, with Tolworth Hospital's patient experience officially condemned as "poor".

With 80 per cent of hospitals nationally achieving an "excellent" or "good" rating, Kingston's hospitals have failed to improve on their "acceptable" ratings last year, and Tolworth has slipped down a rating in the latest Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) figures.

Kingston Hospital was only deemed "acceptable" under the system of self-assessed hospital ratings, which predominantly measures cleanliness but also looks at issues such as access, the patient environment and food quality in hospitals.

Kingston Primary Care Trust (PCT) stressed Tolworth's rating was a result of problems with facilities for patients at the time rather than cleanliness problems.

Kingston Hospital has made improvements since it came third from bottom in the UK for MRSA rates in April to September 2005, and its rates of the clostridium difficile virus in the over-65s jumped by 60 per cent between 2004 and 2005.

It improved MRSA results by a third in the October 2005 to April 2006 period, and the hospital hoped it was bouncing back from its troubles after a campaign of stricter hygiene and close monitoring of intravenous drips.

The PEAT assessment was completed in February, a time the hospital said was very busy and before a new "microfibre" cleaning system was fully introduced.

Geoff Martin from pressure group London Health Emergency said he was worried about the impact on cleanliness of a threatened £7.5million budget cut, which could fall on Kingston Hospital by April.

He said: "The planned cuts at both Kingston and Tolworth hospitals will seriously undermine efforts to stop the spread of MRSA and other superbugs."

A spokeswoman for the cash-strapped Kingston PCT said upgrades were needed to a stairwell, corridor, lifts and a day room at Tolworth Hospital's Cedar Unit.

A bid has been submitted to upgrade the lifts and the day room has been improved. She said: "Works to improve the stairwell and corridor are being considered by the PCT.

"We were delighted with a recent inpatient survey undertaken in May 2006 where a significant majority of respondents rated the hospital's cleanliness and the quality of food served as either good' or excellent'."

There was some good news as food has improved at Kingston Hospital and Tolworth is now officially "good".