London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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East Ham 1927

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]

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48
* Diphtheria Home.—1 Kitchen, 1 Pantry, 1 Sewing Room, 1 Dining Room
(small), 1 Maids' Sitting Room, 8 Bedrooms (2 used as double rooms),
Maids' Sitting Room used as double bedroom for Nurses, Matron's
quarters. 13 accommodated including Matron.
Scarlet Fever Home.—1 Kitchen, 1 Sister's Sitting Room, 1 Nurses' Dining
Room and Sitting Room combined, 1 Staff Nurses' Sitting Room, 17 Bedrooms
(6 used as double rooms). Staff Nurses' Sitting Room used as
bedroom. 23 accommodated.
* Night Nurses' Hut.—8 bedrooms— 1 used as double room. 9 accommodated.
*Maids' Huts.—8 accommodated in 1st hut ; 4 accommodated in 2nd hut.
The members of the Nursing Staff undertake to serve at the Hospital for a
period of not less than two years and during that time, from the Nurse's point
of view at least, she should be entitled to separate sleeping accommodation.
Furthermore, it will be noticed that the members of the Nursing Staff have only
one room for meals, recreation and study, and that the lectures, delivered in
accordance with the requirements of the General Nursing Council, are given in
this same room.
It will also be noticed that the members of the Domestic Staff take their
meals in the Kitchens and have no recreation or sitting room.
The Night Staff Quarters are totally unsuited for the purpose both from
the point of view of accommodation (an Army hut) and from the point of view
of location.
The Council have considered this important question on many
occasions, but little has been done to remedy a very unsatisfactory
situation. In the year 1922, when it appeared that, at long last,
some material improvement might be made, the Council approached
the Ministry of Health with a scheme for providing more
and better accommodation for both patients and Staff. As a result
the following letter was received from the Ministry:—
"The Minister is advised that the present administration,
diphtheria and typhoid blocks proposed to be demolished are
in fair condition and should serve for another five to eight
years, and it is considered that these should be retained for
the present, and that the additional accommodation urgently
needed for the staff should be provided by the erection of a
separate nurses' home west of the laundry, with the necessary
dining and sitting rooms, etc. The erection of such a building
would render available for the reception of patients, the
quarantine block, the three cubicles in the isolation block
at present occupied by staff, and the upper storey of the
*Denotes temporary buildings.