A BID to bar Princess Diana from hospital operating theatres by East Lancashire MP Gordon Prentice has failed.

The Labour backbencher had been incensed by photographs in national newspapers of the Princess of Wales watching an open-heart operation on a child from Africa while she was in full make-up and jewellery including earrings.

He asked Ministers to make national rules to stop visitors attending operations in inappropriate clothing and jewellery.

But embarrassed health ministers John Horam dodged a right Royal row on the issue by saying it was up to individual hospital trusts to decide what a visitor should wear in an operating theatre.

Mr Prentice has proposed a series of health safeguards to protect patients, including regulations compelling non-medically qualified visitors to operations to have to wear "appropriate dress."

He also suggested that visitors should have to be free of jewellery, make-up and "other accessories".

But Mr Horam copped out, insisting it was up to each NHS trust to ensure it had effective local protocols for "safe and appropriate levels of cleanliness in operating theatres."

A disappointed Mr Prentice said:"I think he's dodging the issue. We had these photographs of Princess Diana in make up and earrings in the operating theatre.

"I think there should be national guidelines on this. It shouldn't be left up to individual surgeons to decide who can come into an operation and what they should wear.

"The NHS should take action to prevent any repeat of this incident."

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