Health officials who faced a grilling over low hygiene standards in hospitals have admitted they have struggled to persuade even top doctors to observe cleanliness guidelines.

Representatives from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust were questioned by MLAs on the Assembly Health Committee who raised a litany of complaints over basic hygiene.

DUP Committee member Iris Robinson said common-sense was being ignored and claimed she had even seen a doctor go for a haircut while still wearing his operating theatre garments.

After hygiene standards at hospitals were this week criticised in a damning inspection report, the Committee also heard from a patient angry that germs in an operating theatre led to his grandson suffering a life-threatening infection.

But Dr Tony Stevens Medical Director at the Belfast Trust said: "I now have very robust conversations with doctors who find it impossible to take their watch off, or can't roll their sleeves up, or won't tuck their tie in. I am more than happy to deal with any surgeon who thinks it's a clever idea to go and get his haircut in his theatre blues. I will personally have him in and he will be in no doubt.

"But that is the paradox because that same surgeon might be a very gifted surgeon who an hour or two earlier was saving somebody's life. It is tough in healthcare, you do have these anomalies where you have incredibly dedicated people who have a blind spot."

Dr Stevens said huge efforts had been made to persuade doctors trained in an era when hand-washing was not a priority, to change their habits and observe new cleaning regimes. He said the health service was making progress in improving hygiene levels and many members of medical staff championed the issue, though he accepted improvements had to be made.

The Committee also heard from Gerry Bond, who recounted how his grandson Michael narrowly escaped death after he suffered a serious infection while undergoing surgery for a brain tumour. Mr Bond said he witnessed poor hygiene levels in the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) and launched an 18 month campaign for information which uncovered evidence of poor cleanliness checks.

He challenged the record of the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey, and hit out at the Belfast Trust's Chief Executive William McKee, accusing him of failing to uphold his duty of care to patients. Mr Bond was interrupted by Committee chair Jim Wells who said the committee could not stand over accusations of wrongdoing.

Thursday's hearing followed the publication of the hygiene report compiled by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), members of which also met the committee. The report sparked angry comments from committee members after the document revealed serious concerns over staff practices in decontaminating and disinfecting patient equipment at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.