The spread of E.coli in a neonatal ward in Swansea, Wales, where two babies died was tied to inadequate handwashing and the need to increase spacing between cots, according to an article on the Wales Online website.

A report by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) into the deaths at Singleton Hospital in November 2011 highlighted a number of issues surrounding infection control at the unit.

The report said that putting two sick babies adjacent to each other was “a significant factor in this event.”

Following the report, a spokeswoman for ABMU (Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University) Health Board said that since the event, the neonatal unit at Singleton Hospital has undergone a 3.2 million-pound refurbishment.

"The floor area for the intensive care cots, high dependency cots and special care baby cots have all increased in size, quadrupling the space around every baby. A special isolation room has also been created for babies to greatly reduce the risk of cross infection and also protect those very vulnerable babies whose immune systems aren’t as strong as others," the ABMU said.

Read the article.