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52
Acquisition
of property
On 30th July, 1946, the Council authorised steps to be taken to acquire certain
sites, including bomb-damaged properties adjacent to ten hospitals, for the future
development of the hospitals service.
The Council also sanctioned the acquisition of premises in Cromwell Road with
a view to their adaptation as a nurses' home for St. Mary Abbots Hospital to replace
destroyed accommodation.
Hospital
committees
In July, 1946, the Council restored most of their pre-war functions to hospital
committees and gave them authority to sanction within the votes expenditure not
exceeding certain specified annual amounts ranging from £50 to £200 on works of
minor improvement and on items of additional equipment for the benefit of patients
and staff. This addition was part of the Council's policy of strengthening the individuality
of each hospital without prejudice to its efficient administration as an
integral part of a large service. It was also decided that hospital committees should
meet more frequently than was possible during and immediately after the war.
It may not be out of place to refer in some detail to the large amount of administrative
work which was performed last year by hospital committees and which
enhanced the position of the Council's hospitals as factors in local communal life.
Each of the Council's hospitals, or in a few instances groups of hospitals, has as
its local governing body a hospital committee appointed by the Hospitals and Medical
Services Committee. As many as 373 members served on these local committees
last year; more than 200 meetings were held and some 1,500 "interim visits"
made. Among the more important of the duties of hospital committees are the
regular visiting of the wards and inspection of the diets; appointing ladies' visiting
committees; fixing the detailed arrangements for the visiting of patients by their
relatives and friends; examination of the hospital's books; considering the reports
of the medical superintendent and other senior officers of the hospital; approving
requisitions for supplies; the appointment and promotion of certain grades of staff;
deciding the disposal of small gifts of money to the hospital and considering works
for inclusion in the annual maintenance estimates.
These administrative functions of hospital committees are perforce conditioned
to some extent by the fact that each hospital is only a part of a very large service.
Although there is express provision for hospital committees to submit for consideration
any proposals they may desire to make on matters affecting the hospital, decisions
on matters of major policy are necessarily reserved for the Hospitals and Medical
Services Committee.
District
medical
service
In 1946, the district medical service was continued as in previous years, and the
number of persons receiving attention showed a slight increase. Several district
medical officers retired on reaching the age limit, and others who were on national
service returned to civilian life. All but two of the temporary war-time appointments
have now been terminated and the resulting vacancies filled, following public
advertisement. Although as a result of the National Insurance Act, 1946, supplementary
pensions were, from October, 1946, absorbed in increased old age pensions,
former supplementary pensioners and their dependants were retained on the permanent
medical relief lists and so continued to be entitled to call on a district medical
officer at any time. A large part of the work of district medical officers was with old
people, and difficulties of obtaining hospital admissions for chronic sick patients led
to increased domiciliary visiting.
During the year emergency calls on district medical officers at night, due to
applicants' inability to obtain a doctor, decreased because of the larger number of
doctors normally available.
All statistics for the year showed slight increases over comparable figures, except
for hospital admissions.