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52
Proposed Metropolitan Ambulance Service for the Non-Infectious Sick, etc.—
The many references in former reports to the Ambulance Service of the Metropolis, had relation to
the conveyance of persons suffering from dangerous infectious disease to the hospitals of the
Asylums Board, or to the conveyance, on payment of a prescribed fee, of persons so suffering, to and
from hospitals and places other than hospitals provided by the Managers, as authorised by the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, section 79 (3).*
But there are other sides to the Ambulance question, one of which was dealt with in a report
by the Medical Officer of Health of the London County Council at the latter end of 1902, and in a
prefatory note thereto by Sir William J. Collins, Chairman of the Ambulance Sub-Committee of the
General Purposes Committee; that, namely, of the conveyance to hospitals, or elsewhere, of persons
seized with illness, or meeting with accidents, in the streets or other public places, a duty hitherto
discharged mainly by the police.
In the first monthly report last year (February 5th, page 5) after referring to the proceedings
of the County Council in regard to the Ambulance service, I dealt with another branch of the
subject, that, namely, which concerns persons who, owing to non-infectious illness, or accident,
require facilities for conveyance to hospitals, or from house to house. It was pointed out that for
the indigent poor requiring to be removed to the parochial infirmaries, the arrangements made by
the boards of guardians are fairly satisfactory, but that for sick persons of a higher class, and for
private lunacy cases, needing to be removed from home, or school, or place of business, to a
hospital, nursing home, asylum, or any other place, and able to pay a moderate fee for such service,
no adequate provision exists.
No small proportion of these cases, and they are numerous, are to be found at the West-end
of London, and it would be an undoubted advantage could some provision be made to meet their
requirements.
No other public authority, I remarked, is so well fitted to make the necessary provision for
dealing with such cases as the Asylums Board, who, at their ambulance stations, have an abundant
"plant" and staff available for the purpose. In this connexion especial reference was made to the
"Mead" Ambulance Station, erected in 1902 near Wandsworth Bridge, in the Borough of Fulham,
in anticipation of an expected need (which did not arise) of additional means for the conveyance to
hospital of persons suffering from small-pox. This station has stabling for 26 horses, and buildings
capable of adaptation for 24 more; 12 brougham ambulances, and other vehicles; and quarters for
a large staff of men, nurses, domestics, etc. It was used for a few weeks only, and probably it will
not be wanted again for years, for the service of the infectious sick. What better use, then, I asked,,
could be made of the appliances so lavishly provided, than to place them at the service of the noninfectious
sick, and persons suffering from accident, and requiring to be removed to hospital or
elsewhere?
The station it is true, is situated in the extreme west, but this, probably, is the part of
London where the required facilities are most in demand; the demand, moreover, being as a rule,
not so urgent as in the case of the removal of the infectious sick. Be this as it may, there was a
large station lying idle; the Managers, presumably, would be glad to make such good use of it, and
it could hardly be doubted that the Local Government Board would be willing, on a suitable
representation of the need, to take steps to obtain an Act to enable the Managers to carry out the
plan suggested. It was further pointed out, that should the demand outgrow the capacity of the
Mead Station, the Managers could extend facilities in connexion with their other six stations, under
conditions which would exclude any risk of spreading infectious disease. The proposed scheme, it
was thought, would prove self-supporting; anyhow, the subject was one of no small importance,
and worthy of the consideration of the Board as the sole Public Ambulance Authority acting within
the Metropolis.
In the second monthly report (March 9th, page 33), I had the satisfaction of stating that the
Managers had at their meeting held 7th March, given consideration to the subject and adopted a
resolution—
"That it be referred to the General Purposes Committee to consider and report on
the question of the desirability and practicability, or otherwise, of extending the operations
of the Managers' ambulance service so as to include the transport of medical cases and
surgical cases, and persons of unsound mind, and—if considered desirable and practicable—
to suggest what steps should be taken to place the Board's ambulances at the service of the
public, and upon what terms."
* In addition to the cases of the dangerous infectious diseases which are admissible to the Managers' hospitals, persons
suffering from cholera, erysipelas, puerperal fever, chicken-pox and measles, are now removable to and from hospitals and other
places.