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CENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES
Hospitals. - There would appear to be little point in discussing
in detail the arrangements which exist for the admission of cases
to hospital. The position is, of course, that the administration of
hospitals was transferred on 5th July, 1948, from the County
Council and from local authorities to Regional Hospital Boards.
So far as Southgate is concerned, the whole of the Borough comes
within the area administered by the North-West Metropolitan
Regional Hospital Board, although facilities are provided for sending
cases to the Xorth Middlesex Hospital, which is administered
by the North-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
As from 5th Julv, 1948, cases of infectious disease occurring
in Southgate were sent to South Lodge Hospital (formerly the
Enfield and Edmonton Joint Isolation Hospital). These arrangements
are working very well, no difficulty having been experienced
in arranging for the admission of cases which require hospitalisation.
In actual practice, the procedure adopted by the North-West
Regional Hospital Board in regard to the admission of cases of
infectious diseases to hospital follows very closelv that which we
ourselves adopted in Southgate. When the new system came into
operation, I took the opportunity of suggesting certain minor
amendments which, in my opinion, facilitated the change-over.
These were agreed to by the Principal Medical Officer of the
North-West Regional Hospital Board, with whom cordial relations
have invariably been maintained.
It is still a fact that the number of hospital beds available for
the sick, and particularly the aged sick, is inadequate. This is
due not so much to lack of actual beds as to shortages of staff.
Representations have been made from time to time to the NorthWest
Regional Hospital Board and to the appropriate Hospital
Management Committees, in an effort to secure a more adequate
allocation of hospital beds for patients who are unable to look
after themselves at home and for whom adequate medical and
nursing arrangements cannot be provided otherwise than in
hospital. Although the need is fully appreciated, a solution to
the problem has not yet been achieved.
No great difficulties were experienced during 1948 in obtaining
accommodation for maternity cases. The use of our former
Isolation Hospital as a Maternity Annexe was of considerable
assistance in this respect.
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