As the list of unaffordable capital improvements needed at the Otago District Health Board grew, there was a risk of becoming "increasingly tolerant of that which we should be intolerant" in a hospital, a board committee chairman said.
The comment, from Richard Thomson during the hospital advisory committee meeting yesterday, followed discussion about floor coverings and infection control.
"Infection control seems to me to be something of an important thing in a hospital," Mr Thomson said.
Deputy regional chief nursing and midwifery officer Tina Gilbertson said carpet was not good for infection control.
Vinyl floor coverings would be a much better alternative, but costly to install.
"It is a major issue and has been for a long time," she said.
A building and property services report to the committee noted there had been an increase in reactive jobs being requested as a result of infection control audits.
However, where floor coverings had been identified as an issue, there was not the funding to replace them.
Chief operating officer Vivian Blake said there was a process to identify the highest priorities.
There had been improvements made in some areas.
Managing infectious patients in appropriate areas was a growing issue and they had done some "very innovative things" during the swine flu pandemic, she said.
