View report page

59
Battersea Tuberculosis Dispensary.
The Battersea Tuberculosis Dispensary, taken over in 1921
from the Voluntary Organisation, is situated at 179 Bridge Road.
The premises there are, however, regarded as unsuitable, and a new
Dispensary building, for which the plans and specifications have
been prepared, and after some modifications have been approved
by the Ministry of Health, is to be erected. It is hoped that the
new building will be completed in the Autumn of 1926.
It is very badly needed as the existing Dispensary, an adapted
private house, is inadequate and otherwise unsuitable for
the purpose. The new Dispensary has been planned to
meet all the requirements of a modern tuberculosis dispensary,
and when ready for the admission of patients will prove a most
useful addition to the provision already made by the Council for
health services in the Borough.
The Dispensary is affiliated to St. Thomas's Hospital, which
provides facilities for difficulties in diagnosis, e.g., X-ray examination,
cases necessitating artificial pneumothorax refills, &c. Cooperation
with other hospitals is maintained, and patients attending
for examination at the Dispensary and found to be suffering from
conditions requiring treatment other than tuberculosis, are referred
to appropriate institutions.
The staff of the Dispensary consists of a Tuberculosis Medical
Officer, 3 Nurses, Secretary, Typist, Dispenser and Caretakers
(man and wife).
Dental facilities for Tuberculosis patients attending the Dispensary
were provided by the Council in 1922. A weekly session
is held at the Dental Clinic, Plough Road, and patients requiring
treatment or the provision of dentures are referred to the Clinic by
the Tuberculosis Medical Officer.
The London County Council is responsible for the Institutional
treatment of tuberculosis in the County of London (hospital,
sanatorium, &c.), and arrangements are made for the Institutional
treatment of Battersea patients through the Dispensary. Advanced
cases are removed to St. James' Hospital under the Guardians
of the Wandsworth Union or other appropriate institutions.
Co-operation with medical practitioners has been maintained,
and increasing use is being made by Medical men practising in the
Borough of the facilities provided at the Tuberculosis Dispensary
for diagnosis in difficult and doubtful cases. As far as possible the
Dispensary follows its main role, viz., that of a centre for diagnosis.
Cordial co-operation between the Tuberculosis Dispensary Medical
Staff and local medical practitioners is regarded as a matter of
prime importance in any efficient dispensary scheme for the prevention
of Tuberculosis, and the relations shown in the following
figures to exist between the Dispensary Staff and local doctors is
most satisfactory. During 1925 the consultations with Medical
practitioners numbered 898, and during the 4 years 1921-1924, the
numbers were 1921, 460, 1922, 625, 1923, 574, and 1924, 736.