London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
East Ham 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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43
RESUME OF PRESENT CONDITIONS AT THE
BOROUGH HOSPITAL.
(a) Accommodation for Patients.
The area of the Hospital Wards, Temporary Wards and
Huts, is insufficient to provide for the accommodation of one
patient per thousand of the population, if full compliance with the
standards laid down by the Ministry of Health is to be observed,
and it has been found necessary on many occasions and over long
periods to overcrowd the wards in order to provide necessary
treatment during times of epidemic, although the Ministry has
issued a very strong report discouraging such a procedure. (Public
Health and Medical Subjects. No. 16.)
The maximum accommodation for patients at the Borough Hospital is as follows :—
| Department. | Ward. | Length. Ft. | Breadth. Ft. | Area. Sq. ft. | Maximum number of beds allowable by Ministry of of Health. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Acute Diphtheria | Female | 39 | 24 | 936 | 7 |
| Male | 39 | 24 | 936 | 7 | |
| *Convalescent Diphtheria | Female | 39 | 24 | 936 | 7 |
| Male | 39 | 24 | 936 | 7 | |
| A Block (ScarletFever) | Female. | 60 | 25 | 1,500 | 11 |
| Male | 60 | 25 | 1,500 | 11 | |
| B Block (Scarlet Fever and Side Wards) | Female | 72 | 26 | 1,872 | 13 |
| Male | 72 | 26 | 1,872 | 13 | |
| Cubicle Block | 12 x 12 | 12 x 12 | 1,728 | 12 | |
| *Scarlet Fever Army Hut | 120 | 15 | 1,800 | 12 | |
| Total | Patients. | 100 |
At the present time the hospital has 40 beds above the number
for which accommodation is provided, and this fact must be considered
in conjunction with the absence of an admission block, of
a discharge block, of a convalescent home, and with the fact that
much of the accommodation is of a temporary nature and ill-suited
for the purpose.