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15
The Council were early concerned at the inadequacy of the general
hospital services for the district and in July, 1935, a deputation from the
Public Health Cpmmittee attended before the Middlesex County Council
and the Voluntary Hospitals Joint Advisory Committee. There is land
available for the development of Redhill County Hospital, while a prewar
programme of hospital construction is understood to have made
provision for the construction of a new large county hospital to the south
west of the district, though not in Harrow. The needs of the district
will be further met by the additional accommodation provided just outside
the district if the proposals of the Charing Cross Hospital to erect a
1,000-bedded hospital at North wick Park materialise.
4. Lunacy and Mental Deficiency.
The three County mental hospitals are Springfield Hospital at Wandsworth,
and Napsbury and Shenley Mental Hospitals at St. Albans.
NURSING HOMES.
The statutory provisions relating to the control of nursing homes
are contained in ss. 187 to 195 of the Public Health Act, 1936. Although
the authority responsible for registration is the council of a county or
county borough, s. 194 authorises the county council on the application
of the council of a county district, to delegate to the council of that
district any of the functions of the county council under the provisions
of the Act relating to nursing homes. The local authority has exercised
powers under this delegation since November 1st, 1936.
S. 187 prohibits any person carrying on a nursing home without
being registered and sets out the circumstances in which the Council may
refuse registration. Power is given under s. 188 to cancel the registration.
The authority have power to exempt certain institutions from the operation
of the provisions of the Act, while in addition the Ministry of Health
may grant exemption to Christian Science Nursing Homes.
To control the management of the homes, the authority may make
bye-laws prescribing the keeping of records, and also the requirements
as to notice to be given when deaths occur in the home. There are in
force in this district bye-laws dealing with these points. S. 452 of the
Middlesex County Council Act, 1944, authorises the making of bye-laws
for controlling the spread of infectious disease in the home. Approach
was made during the war for authority to make such bye-laws, but this
was not granted. Supervision of the conduct of the home may be
exercised by the powers granted under s. 191 to certain officers of the
authority to inspect the premises and records. Homes for the reception
of maternity patients are visited every three months, homes for medical
and surgical cases every six months, and certain homes admitting mental
cases every 12 months.
During the war years the applications for admission to nursing homes
and particularly to maternity homes have been greater than ever. The
future of these homes though, is uncertain in that increased accommodation
to be provided by those authorities responsible for hospital accommodation,
together with the probably increased accommodation in paybeds
will meet the needs of those who otherwise would have sought