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A new permanent maternity pavilion—the Upney Pavilionproviding
24 beds was opened in 1936, and it was planned that this
building should be duplicated to double the bed complement, but the
outbreak of war prevented this development.
At the end of the war the decision that the Barking Hospital
should not revert to the reception of infectious disease cases led to
accommodation becoming available for other purposes. Amongst
other things it gave a happy solution to the problem of finding a new
home, complete with X-ray facilities, for the Chest Clinic which for
many years had been accommodated in very cramped quarters in a
house in Linton Road. In addition Harvey and Sydenham Wards
were taken into use for maternity and gynaecological cases. A small
unit for chronically sick female patients has been opened in the Jenner
Ward and Paget acts as an "overflow" for certain clinic services
which cannot be fitted into the overloaded Upney Clinic.
The Barking Hospital, together with the Upney Maternity Pavilion,
came under the administrative control of the Ilford and Barking
Group Hospital Management Committee of the North East Metropolitan
Regional Hospital Board on the "appointed day," but my
predecessor continued to hold the post of Medical Sup rintendent
until his official retirement on 15th January, 1953. Whil t I do not
pretend that it is necessary or even desirable for a speci ist in preventive
medicine to spend too much of his time acting ac a hospital
administrator, this appointment must have provided a .trong link
between the hospital and the preventive services in the B rough.
A measure of liaison with the Hospital Management Committee is
secured by the fact that three members of the Council are also members
of the Hospital Management Committee, whilst at officer level I have
endeavoured to bridge the gap by working closely be h with the
Secretary of the Hospital Management Committee and with the Senior
Medical Officer at the Barking Hospital. It is a pleasure to record my
appreciation for their help and co-operation, which has een steadily
building up during 1953. I am hopeful that the link will be strengthened
during the forthcoming year by my membership of the Group Hospital
Medical Advisory Committee.
The need for co-operation between the various branches of the
service is of particular importance in the case of the maternity and
tuberculosis services and in the provisions for the welfare of the
elderly, matters which are discussed in greater detail elsewhere in this
report.
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