A hospital that had complaints about mice has been called "a disgrace" in a critical report by a patient group.
The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital's Public and Patient Involvement Forum said there was "poor cleanliness" when it inspected Clyst and Tavy wards.
Two days ago, the hospital was the only one in the region to have increased rates of the superbug MRSA.
The hospital said cleanliness was a "high priority" and that issues raised in the report were being addressed.
'High priority'
The two forum visitors said they noticed a "rodent trap on the floor" and had already had complaints about mice from a patient.
It also used words like "filthy", "dirty" and "a disgrace" to describe conditions in some areas.
The forum went on to say they were "concerned by the attitude of some staff" and that "patients were not being treated with the respect and dignity that as human beings they deserved".
It also found that a third of beds had empty or missing disinfectant hand gel dispensers - used to prevent hospital infections.
'Issues addressed'
The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Foundation Trust refused to be interviewed but released a statement to the BBC.
In it Marie-Noelle Orzel, director of nursing and service improvement, said: "The trust considers cleanliness and hygiene to be a high priority, so we are taking the PPI Forum report very seriously.
"In fact we have already addressed many of the issues raised.
"In general we believe that the hospital is clean and in good repair, and the problems identified are not typical.
"We will continue to work closely with forum members to ensure that all outstanding problems identified in their report are addressed."
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