The level of hand hygiene at on Australian hospital “beggars belief”, an infection control expert warns.

A new study by NSW professor Mary-Louise McLaws has found compliance rates for hand ­hygiene at one major Sydney tertiary hospital are as low as 30 per cent.

Government officials have previously claimed that compliance rates are up to 85 per cent.

“If it was me or my relative in a hospital bed, I would be asking every nurse or doctor who went to touch me: ‘Have you used the alcohol-based hand rub?’ ” Prof McLaws said.

“Hand hygiene at this low level can place patients at risk of acquiring a life-threatening pathogen. It’s softly killing the patients. You contaminate the patient and then they take ­several days to get ill. Then, nobody takes responsibility.”

About 250,000 patients acquire an infection while in hospital every year, three quarters of which are deemed ‘preventable’, leading to over 8000 deaths.

The study highlighted a “dysfunctional” culture when it comes to hand hygiene, and that the use of alcohol-based hand rub dropped significantly when health auditors were not present.

Prof McLaws said NSW Health should run more secretive audits so that workers cannot tell when they are being watched.

Hand Hygiene Australia sets standards for health agencies around the country, and its director Professor Lindsay Grayson says that while hand hygiene figures could be higher, the hygiene push overall has been a success.

Prof Grayson said Prof Mclaws’ report is inaccurate.

“The study is only measuring how often the alcohol hand rub is used, not how often it should be used,” Prof Grayson told News Corp reporters.