I WRITE in response to the story (LET, December 23) headlined Dirty, dirty, dirty.' I agree the hospitals mentioned are dirty and need to be a lot cleaner. I work at one of the hospitals mentioned.

The trust will not recruit any staff to replace those who are leaving and we are already short staffed.

The domestics do their utmost to keep hospitals clean and maintain standards, but what can you do when your own area is being neglected due to having to go to do jobs on other wards where there is no domestic to cover a ward?

Things have to be left and they are told to do this by senior staff, so wards and other areas are not getting the required allocated time for that area.

We were told more than three months ago that the domestic department was 210 manpower hours down and since then people have left so it may even be more than 300 manpower hours down now!

They are told to grit their teeth and get on with the job!.

At the end of the day its the domestics who get a bad name and its not their fault, so please don't blame them. Blame the Trust!

Name and address supplied.