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46
Analgesia
apparatus
A very marked increase occurred in demands for the delivery of analgesia
apparatus to women being confined in their own homes and ambulance journeys for
this purpose rose steadily throughout the year from 204 in January to 529 in December.
Brook
Ambulance
Station
The Brook General Ambulance Station premises, which had been seriously
damaged by a rocket bomb in 1944, were restored sufficiently to enable them to be
brought into use again and the station returned from its temporary accommodation
to the repaired premises, which were formally re-opened by the Chairman of the
Council, on 10th May, 1948.
Equipment
Vehicles
The Council placed an order with the Daimler Company, Ltd., for 120 ambulances
conforming to the prototype ambulance produced at the Council's Motor
Vehicle Repair Depot and varied accordingly the three-year replacement programme
which had been approved during the previous year.
The condition of many of the vehicles in the fleet continued to give rise to
anxiety and the need for the new ambulances, which will be the first specially designed
vehicles to be introduced into the fleet since before the war, has been very pronounced.
The only new vehicles brought into use during 1948 were 12 motor cars for the
conveyance of sitting patients.
Five second-hand motor cars formerly used for transport under the Emergency
Medical Service were purchased from the Ministry of Health and added to the
London Ambulance Service fleet.
The contents of the drugs case and other emergency equipment carried in
accident section ambulances was reviewed and certain modifications made, including
a variation of the types of disinfectants carried. Arrangements were made, also, for
the hypodermic syringes and needles to be kept sterilised in sealed containers ready
for instant use by doctors called to assist at accidents.
Staff
In February, 1948, revised arrangements for staffing the Headquarters Control
Room switchboard at night were put into force and the work, which had hitherto
been performed by male ambulance clerks attached to the general section ambulance
stations, was taken over by the women staff who had until then performed day duties
only. This in turn made it possible for the male clerical staff to take over at the
general section stations the night duty formerly undertaken by members of the
operative staff.
The Council authorises the employment of operative staff in excess of the fixed
establishment as and when necessary to provide reliefs during periods of sickness
and annual leave. In addition to this provision, to meet the increased demands
upon the Service and in anticipation of the further demands expected to result from
the operation of the National Health Service, the Council, in March, 1948, authorised
an increase in the fixed establishment of operative staff from 424 to 535 and recruitment
proceeded as the operational work increased.
London
Ambulance
Service
Consultative
Committee
The London Ambulance Service Consultative Committee, established by the
Council in 1946 as a medium of discussion on service matters between the management
and the operative staff, held nine meetings during the year and considered
a variety of matters with a view to the improvement of the efficiency of the service
and the well-being of the staff.
Strength of
the Service
At the close of the year the London Ambulance Service consisted of 23 ambulance
stations with 260 ambulances, 20 ambulance omnibuses, 33 ambulance motor
cars and 2 tenders—operated by a uniformed staff, including temporary staff in
excess of establishment, of 570. The specially designed telephone switchboard in
the Control Room at the County Hall is kept in continuous commission by supervisory
staff and ambulance clerks totalling 29. 42 ambulance clerks are employed at the