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42
ISOLATION HOSPITALS.
DESCRIPTION OF PREMISES.
Particulars of the hospitals were given in the Annual Report
for 1934.
The operating theatre approved in 1936 was erected and
equipped in the early part of the year. Beyond this, structural
alterations have been kept down to a minimum in view of the
limited period for which it is hoped the existing premises will be
required. Consideration was given to the question of providing
a recreation room and office accommodation at the Rayners Lane
Hospital, but it was decided to take no action.
ADMINISTRATION.
Authority had previously been given to arrangements being
made for the admission to outside hospitals of infectious cases
other than mumps and chicken-pox. This reservation has been
modified to permit of the removal of any patients suffering from
either of these infections from the hospitals in the district. It
was also decided that the use of the infectious ambulance for
removal of infectious cases within the district should be without
charge.
Authority was given to the summoning of an ophthalmic
surgeon to such patients in the isolation hospitals as require skilled
treatment for ocular conditions.
Towards the end of the year the question of nurses' hours and
service conditions was considered and consideration given to the
practicability of establishing a 96 hours' fortnight for the nurses
and for the domestic staff. Increasing difficulty is being experienced
generally in obtaining nurses. In 1930 the "Lancet"
Commission was appointed "to enquire into the reasons for the
shortage of candidates, trained and untrained, for nursing sick in
general or special hospitals throughout the country and to offer
suggestions for making the service more attractive to women
suitable for this necessary work." The recommendations included
improvement in the remuneration of the trained staff rather than
increasing the payment of probationers; limitation of the span
of work with due allowance of time for meals, off-duty hours during
the day independent of meal times, and one free day off each
week. Since the date of the findings of this Commission which
reported in 1932, perhaps partly owing to the fact that the shortage
of entrants to the nursing profession has demonstrated that, under
the existing conditions, the service is not sufficiently attractive to
encourage sufficient entrants, there has been a general move to
improve the service conditions of nurses. At the present time
there is sitting an Inter-Departmental Committee on the nursing
services, appointed by the Minister of Health and the President of