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GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES
Hospitals
The remarks contained in my Annual Report for 1957 relating
to the provision of health services remain substantially unaltered,
although, on the whole, the position is more satisfactory. Thus,
very little difficulty has been encountered in the admission of
maternity cases to hospital, either on social or cm medical grounds.
The admission of infectious diseases cases, either to Coppetts
Wood or St. Ann's Hospital, together with the admission of acute
medical or surgical cases to general hospitals, also presented no
real problems. Unfortunately, the obstacles in the way of the
admission of the type of cases commonly known as the "elderly
chronic sick" have not been duly overcome.
While the admission of elderly patients to the North Middlesex
Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, has been somewhat
easier we still look forward to the setting up of a true geriatric
service at the North Middlesex Hospital, a service which will
undoubtedly be of the greatest value to the Borough of Wood Green.
I never fail to raise our needs at the various Committees to which
I have the privilege of belonging. As I have said so often before,
Wood Green is in an unfortunate position. The difficulty lies in
the fact that the North Middlesex Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital,
Enfield. cover a very much wider area than does the Borough of
Wood Green. In short there is no hospital to which general practitioners
in Wood Green can apply knowing that that hospital is
concerned purely with the elderly population of the Borough. I
would once again say, however, that the position has eased, and
that the establishment of a geriatric service at our largest
hospital, the North Middlesex Hospital, will ease the position
still further.
The whole subject of geriatrics should not, of course, be
confined to the admission of the elderly chronic sick to hospital.
Much more can and should be done in this most important field. For
instance, all possible steps should be taken to ensure that the
health of our old people is maintained at the highest practicable
level, so that admission to hospital can at least be postponed.
Here, the setting up of geriatric clinics may prove the answer.
At the moment, this lies within the province of the County Council,
which is very carefully watching the situation, so that action can
be taken as and when this action seems to be required. Much work
can also be done in the rehabilitation of elderly persons admitted
to hospital. The aim should surely be to return these patients to
their homes in such a condition that they are able to fend for
themselves and cease to become what is very often an intolerable
burden on the authorities. I would also mention the important part
which our Home Helps and Home Nurses are playing. In this connection,
Area No. 2 recently set up a Night Home Help Service. This Service
is designed to provide a Home Help who will sit up with a seriously
ill elderly person, and thus give relatives who are almost exhausted,
the opportunity of well-earned rest. This Service was
very widely publicised and is already being used almost to the
maximum.
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