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5. Mechanical equipment.
(a) Lifts.
Six new bed lifts were installed at the following hospitals:—Hackney, Highgate
(2), Lewisham, St. Pancras, and St. Peter's.
In addition, lifts were modernised at St. Charles' and St. Mary Abbots hospitals.
(b) Telephones.
Internal automatic telephone systems were installed in the following six
hospitals:—Hammersmith, St. Alfege's, St. George-in-the-East, St. Giles', St. James',
and St. Mary, Islington.
(c) Fire Alarm Systems.
The following eight hospitals were equipped with modern automatic fire alarm
systems:—Hammersmith, Highgate, St. Andrew's, St. Charles', St. George-in-theEast,
St. Luke's, Chelsea, St. Nicholas', and South Grove. The arrangement
adopted has been a dual one of " essential " and " relay " bells. " Essential "
bells ring in staff residential quarters, laundries, workshops, etc., over the entire
hospital or institution, but not in wards or their annexes. " Relay " bells ring
adjacent to wards solely in the block from which the alarm is actually given.
(d) Heating Systems.
New End hospital.
Installation of heating in night nurses' quarters (C block).
Queen Mary's hospital, Sidcup.
Enclosure and heating of verandahs.
St. Olave's hospital.
Provision of central heating in one block (3 wards).
6. Miscellaneous.
Hammersmith hospital.
Construction of new road, weighbridge and gates.
Lambeth hospital.
Provision of lavatory accommodation for visitors.
St. Charles' hospital.
Formation of additional entrance and roadway for goods.
Enlargement of main entrance and provision of glazed shelter for ambulances.
As was pointed out in the annual report for 1931, the problems raised by the Special
transfer of the general hospitals did not arise in regard to the special hospitals, hospitals
These hospitals, which were formerly administered by the Metropolitan Asylums
Board, formed a homogeneous group, and no considerable alterations, either by way
of adaptation or enlargement, were immediately necessary.
Certain improvements have, however, been effected, and are here considered
under the following headings (a) alterations and additions to patients' accommodation
; (b) alterations and additions to staff accommodation, and (c) other works.
(a) Patients' accommodation.—The programme of the provision of additional
isolation accommodation at the infectious hospitals was further advanced. The
new block at the Western hospital was practically completed by the end of the
year, and substantial progress was made in the erection of the block at the Eastern
hospital, work was begun on the schemes at the Grove and the Park hospitals, and
also on the division into 20 single bed isolation wards of ward block 11 at the SouthEastern
hospital which was composed' of a series of four large rooms. Plans were
approved for the alteration and enlargement of ward block G at the South-Western
hospital by which 64 isolation beds will be added to the hospital accommodation,
representing a net addition to the accommodation of 40 beds, there being a loss of
24 ordinary beds ; the scheme includes certain re-allocating of staff accommodation,
whereby the additional nursing staff required can be housed in existing buildings,
to which the necessary structural alterations will be made. The increase of the
isolation accommodation at the North-Eastern hospital is dealt with in the following
paragraph.