View report page

39
As a result of the growing demand for beds for the more advanced cases, the
accommodation for this class has been supplemented by the Metropolitan Asylums
Board at a hospital at Grove Park, Lee, containing 151 beds for men and 171 beds
for women, of which 11 beds for men and 12 beds for women are reserved for
surgical cases. The surgical beds are used partly for observation purposes to
determine the suitability of patients for treatment at such institutions as St. Luke's
Hospital, Lowestoft, so as to avoid the occupation of surgical beds in sanatoria by
chronic hopeless cases instead of cases where the prognosis is favourable. It should be
noted, however, that most of the institutions used by the Council for " advanced "
cases are not entirely reserved for this class. The accommodation and equipment
are so arranged as to permit of the effective treatment of a proportion of
moderately advanced and even early cases. This, to some extent, obviates the
depressing atmosphere resulting from the congregation of large numbers of hopeless
cases.
Of the 6,007 adult cases recommended for residential treatment during 1926,
5,323 were accepted, 45 were subsequently withdrawn and 639 were refused. The
decision in 114 of these cases was made after examination of the patients by medical
officers of the Council. The 5,323 cases were disposed of as follows :—
(a) 1,329 were passed for admission to " observation " beds in the first
instance to determine diagnosis or suitability for sanatorium treatment;
(b) 3,994 were passed for direct admission to sanatoria or hospitals.
Of the foregoing accepted cases, 421 for various reasons failed to enter institutions
and 77 were awaiting vacancies at the end of the year.
The cases referred to "observation" hospitals were generally (1) patients
in whom the diagnosis of tuberculosis was doubtful; (2) acute cases; and (3) patients
with well-marked symptoms whose suitability for sanatorium treatment could only
be satisfactorily determined after a period of observation in hospital.
During the year 1,288 patients were discharged from" observation beds" and
their classification was as follows. The corresponding figures for 1925 in pulmonary
cases are also given :—
Pulmonary 1926. 1925.
Group A 352 (37.65%) 374 (34.82%)
Group B1 58 ( 6.20%) 66 ( 6.15%)
Group B2 413 (44.17%) 465 (43.30%)
Group B3 112 (11.98%) 169 (15.73%)
Total pulmonary cases 935 1,074
Surgical cases 13 31
Total diagnosed as tuberculous 948 1,105
For definition of classification see table below.
In the remaining 340 cases the diagnosis of tuberculosis was not confirmed.
Of the 948 cases definitely diagnosed as tuberculous, 687 pulmonary cases were
sent to sanatoria, 107 to institutions for advanced cases, 13 died in the "observation"
hospitals, 4 cases were transferred to surgical institutions, and 137 were discharged
home or arrangements made for them independently of the Council's Tuberculosis
Scheme.
The total number of adults admitted to institutions during 1926 was 5,203 as
against 4,934 in 1925. 1,668 were under treatment at the commencement of the
year so that the total number of adults treated in 1926 was 6,871 as against 6,557
in 1925.
The number of adults under treatment on 31st December, 1926, was as follows
(the corresponding figures for the previous year are shown in brackets) :—