London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1934

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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149
Matters affecting both General and Special Hospitals.
Planning and development.
The report for 1933 contained a detailed account of the works of improvement
and development which had been carried out in the general hospitals during the
period from 1st April, 1930 to 31st December, 1933.
General
hospitals and
institutions.
It is only necessary, therefore, in this report to record the progress achieved in
these directions during the year 1934. Comparison with the previous report will
reveal that certain works appear in both lists. This is explained by the fact that
in an endeavour to make the report for 1933 as complete as possible, mention was
made of certain works of improvement which, although nearing completion, were
not actually completed before 31st December, 1933. They are, therefore, included
again in this report as the dates of their completion fell within the period under review.
In a number of instances a necessary improvement concerns all the wards in
a hospital. In other cases some form of development is called for in a number, or
even in all, of the hospitals. In such eventualities it is frequently necessary to
arrange programmes with a view to spreading the work over a number of years.
Many of such programmes were advanced a further stage during 1934, and in some
instances the year saw the completion of works which had been systematically
carried on, in annual stages, for some years. The programmes dealt with diverse
forms of improvement and development such as, in the case of wards, rewiring
(including provision of power plugs), reflooring, plastering of walls, installation of
lavatory basins in wards and modernisation of kitchens and sanitary annexes.
I. major works.
Archway hospital.
Rebuilding of operating theatre and X-ray department. Erection of a sanitary tower to
one block.
Bethnal Green hospital.
Erection of a new block containing X-ray and massage departments on the ground floor
and a hospital laboratory on the first floor.
Constance Road institution.
Adaptation of a block (C) previously occupied by healthy inmates to provide for 140 sick
patients. This involved the erection of a sanitary tower, the installation of a lift, reflooring,
plastering the walls, rewiring and equipping with modern appliances.
Adaptation of two blocks (A and D) to form mental observation units, one for each sex,
for the southern part of London. Each block contains 39 beds.
Dulwich hospital.
Erection of a new ante-natal department.
Hackney hospital.
An extensive scheme of improvements has been carried out under one contract
including the erection of the following new departments:—
(а) Out-patients' department with treatment rooms, theatre for minor operations
and surgery for ophthalmic, ear, nose, throat and dental cases.
(a) Ante-natal department.
(c) X-ray department.
(d) Two operating theatres.
(e) Dining rooms for the medical officers and the sisters.
(g) Hospital laboratory.
Hammersmith hospital.
Adaptation of a block (institution F) to provide accommodation for 42 nurses.
Lambeth hospital.
Reconditioning of the wards of X block (east) (institution) to provide accommodation
suitable for 108 acute cases. This work included the formation, on each of the three floors,
of a ward kitchen and two bathrooms, a dressings room and a blanket store ; the improvement of
the sanitary arrangements by the separation ot the nurses' section from the patients' bathroom
and W.C.s; reflooring in hardwood; plastering and new dividing screens where necessary;
installation of hospital type radiators; rewiring to provide for wall brackets, night lights, power
plugs and synchronised clocks.
Adaptation of former institution laundry to form a central laundry for both the hospital
and institution blocks.
Conversion of former hospital laundry into a waiting room for visitors.
Lewisham hospital.
Erection of a new ward block to accommodate 164 patients.
The block comprises the following:—
(a) A maternity department containing 63 beds with a receiving section and 5 labour
rooms.