The Dunedin Hospital site is crowded, in poor repair, and its cleanliness is not up to scratch, an inspection has found.
Otago District Health Board chief executive Brian Rousseau told the health select committee last month that when Quality Health NZ surveyors visited the board in September to see what progress had been made on substandard facilities identified in March 2007, they noted cleanliness on the hospital site was "not at a standard expected of a facility of this purpose".
While the quality assessors said urgent and steady progress towards the development of both Dunedin and Wakari hospitals was necessary to ensure a safe environment was maintained, the board was still waiting for ministry approval of its redevelopment plans because of concerns over their affordability.
The survey team described carpets in many areas as looking unclean, with some heavily stained.
In some public areas, the carpet was almost bare.
Lifts were dirty, especially lift doors and floor coverings, and so were stairwells.
Mr Rousseau, responding to additional questions from the committee on the review of the board's last financial year, reported that at the time of the visit, one four-bed unit in Queen Mary was having carpet replaced with lino, and new carpet was being laid in some areas in the children's ward.
The inspection team also described Wakari Hospital as being in a poor state in patient areas.
The inspection was made in the month following the norovirus outbreaks at Dunedin and Wakari Hospitals, when management defended standards of cleanliness at the hospital after some patients expressed concerns to the Otago Daily Times.
Difficulties of cleaning an ageing complex were acknowledged.
Answers given by Mr Rousseau to questions about the risks posed by the non-compliance of the two hospitals with modern standards reinforce worries the board has been airing for some time.
Areas of ongoing concern have been the intensive care unit, the neonatal intensive care unit, the acute mental health ward at Dunedin Hospital, and the children's ward and paediatric assessment unit.
There were also many substandard outpatient areas, Mr Rousseau said; most notably the ear, nose and throat department.
Risks were breaches of privacy, lack of infection control facilities, an unsafe environment for mental health patients and staff, lack of isolation facilities, health and safety issues and retention and recruitment of staff who see the facilities as inadequate.
Below standard
• Mental health inpatient, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), paediatric unit and ward, intellectual disability unit, do not meet certification standards.
• Health Ministry questioning board's ability to pay for upgrades.
• Some outpatient departments, particularly the ear, nose and throat department, below par.
• Hospital cleanliness below standard expected, Quality Health NZ found in September.
• Redevelopment essential to address growing problems.
- Board chief executive Brian Rousseau tells health select committee.
