A hospital trust which serves Black Country patients has been ordered to review its cleaning arrangements after an inspection.

The Healthcare Commission visited Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and rated two wards at City Hospital, Birmingham, as unsatisfactory.

One had dirty and dusty ceilings, curtain rails, bedside fans, floors and ventilation vents.

A cupboard contained dirty cleaning equipment, and clothes used for the service of food were stored on top of equipment used for cleaning floors.

A single ward which was about to take a new patient had a full waste bin, curtain rails were dusty, and the shower area had litter.

Provision of hand wash facilities on the two wards were inadequate.

The commission visited in in November. The trust passed all other aspects of the inspection, but has been asked to review cleaning and hand washing.

Trust spokeswoman Jessemy Kinghorn said: “We welcome the report by the Healthcare Commission and we will take action in the two areas it highlights.

“These lapses in our usual high standards has prevented the report from fully reflecting the success we have had in combating hospital acquired infections.”