SHADOW health minister Dr Andrew Murrison called the Dispatches documentary a "cut and paste" version of life at the RUH.

The west Wiltshire MP said he wanted hospital management to take action but raised concerns about what he called a one-sided account.

He said: "I was not contacted by the Dispatches programme in advance. Had they contacted me I would have spoken to one or two of the people that have contacted me recently about cleanliness at the RUH and asked them if they would meet with producers.

"Dirty hospitals and poor practice are unacceptable. However it is easy to cut and paste giving the impression that an institution is general bad and filthy when it is not."

Dr Murrison said he was concerned patients and staff shown could be identified.

Instead of fly-on-the-wall documentaries Dr Murrison said whisteblowing policies should be reviewed, giving staff more freedom to express concerns.

"The culture of whistleblowing had receded and that is a pity. People need to be free to speak out without fear of censure from the management."

The MP has already written to RUH chief executive Mark Davies to ask him for his response to concerns raised by the show.