Barnet Hospital has defended its record on hygiene after a report revealed it failed to comply with elements of the hygiene code in the past financial year.

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust was this week named by the Healthcare Commission, the Government healthcare watchdog, among trusts which admitted not meeting the code's strict standards throughout the year.

However, the trust said it could not declare itself fully compliant with the code because an Improvement Notice, issued by the Healthcare Commission last July following a damning hygiene inspection, was not lifted until December.

Louise Ashley, the hospital's director of infection control, said that since July the trust has made "great strides forward" and claimed this week's report was not a reflection of poor performance.

She said the Healthcare Commission returned in October for a comprehensive re-inspection.

She added: "We were compliant with the code and it gave us more than a clean bill of health, which is great news for our patients.

"Our figures show we have reduced infections by 60 per cent in one year so I'm very confident the situation has improved.

"We were moving in the right direction, but the Improvement Notice meant we had six weeks to turn things around and we went faster because of it."

However, Barnet Council leader Councillor Mike Freer said he was not satisfied sufficient improvement had been made and urged the Healthcare Commission to inspect the site again.

"This is no good. Barnet and Chase Farm is not clean enough," he said. "Nine whole months have passed and very little has been achieved."

Councillor Helena Hart, cabinet member for public health, echoed Mr Freer's concerns.

She said: "The trust has to do much more to get this under control and we are requesting urgent meetings with the hospital and the primary care trusts - as commissioners of services at the hospitals - to ensure this takes place."