An inquest in Belfast has been dominated by the issue of how hospitals deal with the MRSA bug.
The widow of a man in his 40s, who was infected while undergoing treatment for back injuries and later died, has alleged hospital staff ignored her warnings about the conditions in which he was being treated.
Brendan McDowell, a 43-year-old construction worker from Co Down, was seriously injured in December 2003 when part of a building he was demolishing fell on him.
He suffered severe spinal fractures and underwent surgery to repair the damage.
Despite the extent of his injuries his family expected him home at Christmas that year, but 12 weeks after he was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast Mr McDowell died there from organ failure brought on by infections including MRSA.
At the inquest into his death, his widow, Ann, launched a scathing attack on the quality of care her husband had received in the Royal, and on the standard of hygiene.
She claimed she had to change her husband's dirty bedclothes herself, and said she told doctors the ward was filthy and unsafe for patients.
She said her warnings were ignored until her husband was diagnosed with MRSA.
The Royal has hired one of Northern Ireland's leading lawyers, Michael Lavery QC, to defend its reputation.
He told the inquest there was no evidence Mr McDowell's death could have been prevented.
The hearing is expected to conclude later this week.
