Health chiefs at Shropshire’s two main hospitals are looking at reducing the number of bedside visitors in a bid to control the spread of the MRSA superbug and other infections.Trish Rowson, deputy chief executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, said it was considering a return to the old policy of having no more than two visitors per bed.

She also said nurses and other staff faced disciplinary action if they failed to cover up their uniforms when they left work or were seen in public places wearing them.

Recently a nurse was disciplined for breaching this rule.

Mrs Rowson said there were no facilities at the hospitals for laundering uniforms but staff were given advice on how to wash them properly at home.

She was responding yesterday to questions from the county council’s watchdog health overview and scrutiny panel.

Mrs Rowson together with Debbie Shaw, the trust’s director of strategy, updated members on the action being taken to tackle the problem.

Mrs Shaw said the trust was one of very few to have implemented a staff screening programme.

At present certain groups of patients are screened, such as renal and oncology, but consideration is being given to extending it.

The target is to cut the number of MRSA cases to 23. Since April 16 cases have been reported.

The panel agreed to “strongly recommend” the trust to take further action to cut visitor numbers.