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found to supplement the services of the Home Nurses and Home Helps
provided by the County Council, it would seem that there will continue
to be the demand on hospital beds by those who strictly do not need this
provision, and whose admission to hospital can only lead to an impairment
of the general hospital services available to those in the district.
Apart from the powers possessed by the hospital boards or by the
local health authorities to help persons in need of care and attention,
the local sanitary authority has been given powers to deal with those
persons who, because they cannot look after themselves, are causing
injury or nuisance to those living near. These powers are contained in
Section 47 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, which sets out the
arrangements for the removal to suitable premises of persons who (a)
are suffering from grave chronic disease, or being aged, infirm or physically
incapacitated, are living in insanitary conditions, and (b) are unable to
devote to themselves and are not receiving from other persons proper
care and attention. Both conditions must be satisfied before this section
is applicable. The procedure to be followed is set out in further clauses
of the section, namely, if the Medical Officer of Health certifies in writing
to the Authority that he is satisfied that in the interests of such person
residing in the area of the Authority, or for preventing injury to the
health of or serious nuisance to other persons, it is necessary to remove
such person from the premises in which he is residing, the Authority may
apply to a Court of Summary Jurisdiction for an Order. The Court if
satisfied may order the removal of the person by an officer of the Authority
to a suitable hospital or other place in or near the area of the Authority.
But before the Order is made, the person managing the premises must be
heard, or have been given seven days' notice of the intended application.
Any Order made would be applicable for three months and the Court
could extend the period. Up to this, no action has been taken in this
district under the powers given by this section. In some districts in
which these powers have been used it has been found that the machinery
is cumbersome. The 1951 Amendment Act aims at dealing more
expeditiously with the cases which Section 47 of the 1948 Act were intended
to deal. Under the new procedure, if the Medical Officer of
Health and another registered medical practitioner certifies that it is
necessary that a person shall be removed without delay from the place he
is living in, an application for a Removal Order may be made to the Court
or to a single justice without the necessity of giving notice to the person
whose removal is desired, or to the person in charge of him ; nor is it
necessary that notice shall be given to the person in charge of the premises
to which it is proposed to removed the person providing that the applicant
can show that that person is willing to receive into the establishment
the person in need of care and attention. An Order made under this
machinery is valid for three weeks only ; any application for the extension
of an Order made under this arrangement has to be made under Section
47 of the 1948 Act.
AMBULANCE SERVICE
The ambulance service maintained by the County Council is run in
association with the fire service.