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£100 a year, with effect from 1st April, 1943. Some improvement was also made
in the basic scales of pay of certain sections of the hospital clerical staff.
As an experiment, clerks were authorised for work in certain out-patients'
departments and receiving wards to ease the work of nursing staff and to effect a
more rapid turnover and better organisation.
A general increase in the basic remuneration of subordinate technical laboratory
staff in the hospitals was effected, it having been felt that the importance and value
of the work of the laboratory technicians justified an improvement in their pay.
To increase the scope of the research work on gastro-enteritis which is being
carried out at the North-Western Group Laboratory, the staff was increased by a
position of junior bio-chemist (new grade).
Improvements were made in the rates of pay of domestic assistants and
laundry women in the hospitals service. These led to some minor adjustments in
the pay of certain allied grades later in the year. At the same time a general
improvement in the remuneration of resident domestic staff was made. In making
these improvements, regard was had to the recommendations of the Hetherington
Committee on the wages and conditions of employment of domestics.
During the first half of the year the staffing position showed little change
compared with 1943, and the shortage which had gradually been growing since the
early days of the war became more acute. This shortage was slightly relieved
when, owing to the flying-bomb attacks on London which commenced in June, a
number of hospitals were evacuated and patients were transferred to hospitals in
the provinces. A large proportion of nursing staff accompanied the patients, but
most of the male and female domestic staff were immobilised because of their
residence, and as far as possible they were reposted to other hospitals in London.
This temporary gain was offset by the necessity for supplying domestic staff
for the four hospitals which the Council opened outside London for the reception
of evacuated patients. Local staff were available only to a limited extent, and
difficulty in securing an adequate number of London volunteers resulted in a
heavy burden being thrown upon the staff of these four hospitals. Only willing
co-operation and hard work on the part of all concerned enabled the hospitals to
be satisfactorily run.
Special difficulties were encountered in maintaining the necessary minimum
staffs of pharmacists, physiotherapists and radiographers and increased use had
to be made of the services of unqualified dispensers and also, for locum tenens duties,
of pharmaceutical students during their vacations. Dark-room technicians were
employed to assist radiographers in three of the large X-ray departments.
The second course of training for pupil radiographers was commenced at
Hammersmith and Lambeth Hospitals-. Five pupils, who successfully completed
their training in November, 1944, were appointed as radiographers in the hospitals
service.
Since the outbreak of war, 1,197 members of the hospitals permanent staff
have been called up for service with H.M. Forces, including 49 medical officers,
79 female and 170 male nurses, 514 porters, 206 clerks and 179 miscellaneous
grades; and in addition 24 male and 15 female members of the permanent staff
have undertaken work in war industry or the Merchant Navy or the Women's Land
Army or hospital nursing services. As regards temporary staff, 365 of all grades
left to undertake war service.
Forty-one members of the staff have been killed in action or have died on
war service, while 95 members of the staff have been discharged from H.M. Forces
and have returned to duty at the hospitals.