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57
In the first monthly report for 1903 (February 5th), after referring to the proceedings of the
County Council in regard to the Street 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 provisions exists."
The need of a service for these classes of cases came before the Metropolitan Asylums Board
shortly afterwards, and on March 7th, 1903 they adopted a motion to the effect—
" 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."
The General Purposes Committee, on 16th March, requested the Ambulance Committee to
submit to them a report on the question. On the 2nd November this Committee presented their
report, in which they set out the steps taken by them to ascertain the views of the Metropolitan
Public Health and Poor Law Authorities, and showed that 33 of these bodies would support an
application by the Managers to the Local Government Board, for the necessary legal authority to
enable them to use their ambulance carriages for the conveyance of non-infectious cases: only
16 of these bodies were adverse to the proposal. The Committee, moreover, having enquired of the
secretaries of 33 London hospitals whether it would be of advantage to the public if the Asylums
Board were empowered to place ambulance carriages at the. service of the public at moderate
charges ? received replies which, with one exception, were emphatically in favour of the proposal.
The conclusion at which the Committee arrived was, that an ambulance service for the purposes in
question was desirable, and that, " on the grounds of efficiency and economy," it would be advisable
for the Board to undertake the proposed work, which it would be practicable for them to do
" immediately the necessary legal authority could be obtained."
The report, having been approved by the General Purposes Committee, was submitted to the
Managers, with a recommendation in favour of the proposals contained therein being adopted ; and
on the 28th November the subjoined resolutions were passed:—
"That, in the opinion of the Managers, it is desirable and practicable to extend the
operations of their ambulance service so as to include the transport of medical, surgical,
and mental cases, for which application may from time to time be made by any authority or
person within the Metropolis; provided that such extension of the ambulance service shall not
be held to include the removal of cases of street accident, nor of patients to and from the
several lunatic asylums under the control of the London County Council, unless bv special
sanction of the Ambulance Committee, or, in emergency, of the Chairman of that Committee,
or the Clerk to the Board."
" That, upon the necessary legal authority being obtained for the Managers by the Local
Government Board, the work be immediately undertaken, and a charge of 7s. 6d. made in
respect of each removal, and, in addition, a mileage of Is. 6d. beyond the boundary of the
Metropolis."
The resolution was communicated to the Local Government Board forthwith, and it was
naturally hoped that power would be obtained in the Parliamentary Session of 1904, to enable the
Managers to extend the use of their ambulance service in the direction suggested. But as the
question of providing a street ambulance service was known to be receiving consideration at the
hands of the General Purposes Committee of the County Council, it appeared to the Local
Government Board desirable that the Managers should, in the first instance, place themselves in
communication with the Council on the subject. In pursuance of this suggestion, the Asylums
Board authorised their Ambulance Committee to seek a conference with the Council, and a proposal
to this effect was made in February 1904.
Here it may be mentioned, that in May (1904), a deputation, organised by the Metropolitan
Street Ambulance Association, waited upon the General Purposes Committee of the Council to urge
the necessity for an ambulance service to deal with street accidents and cases of sudden illness
occurring in the public thoroughfares ; the Association was of the opinion that the proposed service
might be worked in connection with the Fire Brigade. The matter was referred, for inquiry and
report, to the Ambulance Sub-Committee.