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GENERAL PROVISIONS OF HEALTH SERVICES
Hospitals.—As noted in the Annual Report for 1949, the
administration of hospitals now rests with Regional Hospital
Boards. In the case of Southgate, the Borough comes within
the area administered by the North-West Metropolitan Regional
Hospital Board, although facilities are still provided for admission
of cases to the North Middlesex Hospital, which is administered
by the North-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
The most clamant need so far as hospitalisation is concerned
would appear to be the case of the chronic, elderly sick. Scarcely
a week passes but the needs of chronic, elderly sick persons, for
whom a hospital or institutional need is not available, are brought
to our notice. Many of those cases are tragic. As a local sanitary
authority we are only able to act in circumstances where individuals
are in obvious need of admission to an institution, because they
are a danger either to themselves or to others, and where the
individual concerned has refused to leave home. In such cases
an order has to be obtained from a magistrate directing removal
to hospital. It was not found necessary to take any such action
during 1950. The large mass of chronic sick would be only too
willing to enter an institution where they would be guaranteed that
care and attention which cannot be adequately obtained at home.
Unfortunately we have no jurisdiction over such admissions, which
can only be arranged by the family doctor, in consultation with the
hospitals or institutions concerned. The County Council can, of
course, provide nursing facilities in the home, and can also arrange
for the provision of a domestic help. As I have mentioned before,
these arrangements are merely palliative, and can at best be
regarded as expedients, at least so far as patients who ought to
be in hospital are concerned.
As I write this report, I have been informed that the local
Division of the British Medical Association is making arrangements
for a conference to be held, at which the urgent need for making
more adequate arrangements to deal with chronic sick will be
discussed. This approach is welcomed. One can only hope, roost
sincerely hope, that the conference will effect some practical
improvement, even if the result does not provide a complete
solution to what is an obvious and urgent problem.
It is pleasing to be able to report that admission of maternity
cases to hospital is now easier than has been the case for the past
few years. It is equally satisfactory to be able to state that the
arrangements whereby cases of infectious disease from the Borough
are admitted to South Lodge Hospital have continued to work very
well indeed during the year. Although staffing difficulties at this
hospital have been none too easy, every effort has invariably been
made to meet our requests for admission.
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