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Ealing Hospital has been forced to empty some of its hand sanitisers to stop people drinking the alcoholic gel inside them.

Jay Hayes, 38, filmed himself on Wednesday (December 20) trying to sanitise his hands at the main entrance, only to find all four dispensers had nothing in them.

This is despite a plea on the London North West University Healthcare Trust website, which asks visitors to help protect vulnerable patients by using the hand sanitising gel before entering wards or departments.

A spokeswoman for the health trust explained that some dispensers "in non-clinical areas" had been deliberately emptied for the bizarre reason that people are drinking from them.

The empty sanitisers are likely to be removed or relocated.

(Image: TMS)

In his video, which MyLondon edited to avoid violating patient privacy, Jay says: "I'm at Ealing Hospital and they are saying that you are supposed to use a hand sanitiser gel."

"I'm just going to show you," he adds, before attempting to use the dispenser. "None. And that's for a hospital.

"That's [the same] in all four places. That's what happens. They ask you to go do that and there's none, how disgraceful."

However, the spokeswoman explained that dispensers on wards and in clinical areas were still full "in line with national guidance".

(Image: Jay Hayes)

She said: "We have recently become aware that some members of the public have been drinking the alcohol gel from our hand sanitiser dispensers.

"Our infection control and facilities teams have therefore reviewed the locations of our hand sanitisers as a safety precaution.

"A few of the dispensers in non-clinical areas have been emptied so that they can be removed and, if necessary, relocated.

"All our wards and clinical areas have appropriate hand sanitising facilities as required by national guidelines. Our gel dispensers are checked twice a day and refilled as required."

The entire NHS Trust, including Ealing Hospital, was inspected in June and the hospital's rating was deemed as 'needing improvement'.

The report said "hygiene compliance was variable across the medical wards [in all trust hospitals]".

Ealing Hospital in particular was told to "improve hand hygiene compliance" on Ward 7 North.