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started to fall, and will continue to fall in almost direct
proportion to the availability of adequate housing. Where
a hospital bed was required, little difficulty was found
during the year in arranging for this to be provided.
When it comes to the admission to a chronic hospital
or to an institution of elderly, infirm persons, the position
is still extremely gloomy. It must be appreciated that,
when hospital beds are at a premium, these beds should rightly
be available for acute cases who require careful nursing and
supervision, possibly with an operation. On the other hand,
we know only too well that numbers of elderly, infirm persons
have to remain at home, receiving only such attention as can
be provided by the Homo Nursing and Home Help Services and
by charitable neighbours and voluntary organisations. We
are quite aware that our domiciliary services are designed
to reduce the demand on hospital beds; indeed, that is the
principle on which we have always worked. There must still,
however, be a percentage of elderly persons who should be in
a chronic hospital because they cannot receive adequate attention
in their own homes. In many cases these unfortunate
individuals are virtually left alone for lengthy periods,
both by day and by night, since the most that can be arranged
is periodic visits from one or more of the sources indicated
above. This is far from satisfactory, end must surely be
regarded as a stigma on the social services available to
the most vulnerable section of our community.
Although I am a member of several committees which
are intimately concerned with the hospital service, and
although my numerous protests have always been sympathetically
received, it is still obvious that liaison between the
services provided by the Regional Hospital Board and the
needs of the local authority presents many serious gaps.
The situation has certainly improved, while we must remember
that the present system has only been in operation since 1948.
Those of us engaged in the public health service feel very
strongly that the emphasis placed on curative rather than
preventive medicine in the National Health Service Act is
not entirely in the national interest. No one would deny
the wonderful work being carried out by Hospital Boards
throughout the country, nor can one shut one's eyes to the
obvious difficulties presented by the post-war social system.
One would have hoped, however, that during the seven years
over which the National Health Service has been operating,
the obvious drawbacks might have been noted and an adequate
remedy devised.
A freer change of information is quite obviously
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