Health inspectors have raised concerns about cleanliness and hygiene after an unannounced visit to a Devon hospital.
Managers at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth said they were disappointed by the findings.
They said they had already introduced changes to improve cleaning and infection control.
The inspection team from the Healthcare Commission toured the hospital for two days at the end of July and released its findings on Friday.
'Immediate action'
It found the hospital trust was not meeting its duty for providing a clean and appropriate environment and was also failing in its management systems for tackling hospital bugs.
Dr Peter Jenks, director of infection prevention and control, said: "Given our track record on infection control, we were extremely disappointed that we did not do better in the inspection and we took immediate action to rectify the issues identified by the Healthcare Commission."
The hospital says it has significantly reduced infection rates in the past four years.
Derriford has also made changes since the inspection, such as increasing the number of matrons.
There are also plans to spend more money on cleaning in the future.
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