View report page

Regarding a Resident Medical Officer, the Medical Officer
of Health of Wembley presented in July a report to the Joint
Committee.
The population of the Boroughs of Acton and Wembley,
according to the Registrar General's estimate Midsummer, 1937,
was—Acton 69,100, Wembley 114,700—total population 183,000.
The hospital had then 82 beds.
For the hospital to serve such a large area, it must be ready
at all times to receive the acutely ill, and there must be times
when the number of acutely ill cases is such that the responsibilities
and duties can only properly be undertaken by a
Medical Officer. As long as there be no resident Medical Officer,
there must be certain delegation of responsibilities to the Matron
who, of course, is not medically trained.
A resident Medical Officer's primary duty would be the
medical care of the patients in the Hospital, as well as being
responsible for the Hospital's general supervision.
The ultimate capacity of the Hospital is to be a minimum
of 115 beds (not less than 40 of which beds are to be in cubicles).
That is to say, the Hospital will be ready, as it should be, to
admit a wide range of cases suffering from various infections,
or potential infections, making it inappropriate for them to be
admitted to a General Hospital.
The resident Medical Officer, then, should be one of some
experience and standing, in the profession, and who should be
directly responsible to the Joint Committee for the clinical
supervision of the patients, as well as for the general control
of the hospital. For such an officer as Resident Medical Superintendent
a suitable house in or very near the hospital grounds,
should be considered along with the imminent enlargement of
the hospital.
A junior Resident Medical Officer, working under the
responsibility of the Medical Superintendent (the Medical Officer
of Health for Acton) commenced duty on 1st February, 1939.
The following cases were admitted to the hospital : —
Scarlet Fever 296
Diphtheria 72
Measles 22
Erysipelas 2
Chickenpox 2
Whooping Cough 2
Diphtheria observations 9
Encephalitis 1
Impetigo 2
111