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64
The Local Government Board, as already stated, cannot
give the desired authorisation for admitting patients informally,
but, doubtless, the Managers are satisfied that the Board will not
object to the admirable system which they have adopted, and
for which the Metropolis is indebted, in no slight degree, to your
Vestry's action—a system which places London at the head of
all great cities in regard to facilities for isolating infectious
persons in hospitals: the hospitals themselves, and the ambulance
service by which the patients are transported, being second to
none, whether regard be had to the accommodation provided or
to the speed and comfort with which the sick are removed.
THE MODE OF ADMISSION OF PATIENTS TO
THE HOSPITALS.
This question came before the Managers in the autumn last
year, and the information supplied shows that there is considerable
variety of practice in the different districts, for while in some of
them all of the admissions are upon the orders of the Poor Law
Officials, in others patients are exclusively admitted upon the
application of the Sanitary Authorities. The Chairman of the
Board, referring to 1,200 patients received in the six weeks ended
September 24th, stated that the cases admitted on the
application of the Poor Law Officials were 720, or 60 per
cent. of the whole; the applications by the Sanitary Officials being
349, or 29 per cent. Officials at general hospitals had sent in
103 patients or 8.5 per cent., while 25 patients, or 2 per cent.,
had been admitted upon the application of private medical
practitioners*. Owing to this variety in the mode of
*The Asylums Board have recently (May) published a return showing the
number of cases admitted into the Board's Hospitals, between the 1st April,
1887, and the 31st March, 1888, a total of 7,614. Of this number 4,761 (=63
per cent.) were admitted with, and 2,853 (=37 0 per cent.) without an Order of a
Believing Officer or Master of a Workhouse. The following numbers of patients
were removed in the Managers' Ambulances:—Upon application by Poor-Law
Officers, 4,348 (=57.2 percent.); by Sanitary Officials,2,129 (=27.9 per cent.); by
Officials of General Hospitals, 761 (=10.0 per cent.); by private Medical Practitioners,211
(=2.8 per cent.); 111 persons were received from District Schools in
Parish Ambulances (=1.5 per cent.); and 53 patients ( =0.7 per cent.) presented
themselves at the Hospitals.