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75
Diphtheria continued, as seen in the graph, more than usually
prevalent during the early months of 1930. As stated at the end
of last year's report, Dockwell Hospital was opened just before
Christmas, 1929. It was found necessary, however, shortly after,
of add lavatory accommodation on to the smaller block, so as to
bring it into use, and the total number of cots up to 15. In the
early days of its use there was no difficulty in getting the hospital
filled with children small enough to go into cots, but later difficulty
arose owing to the larger size of the children; and the necessity of
bringing beds into use materially interfered with the floor space.
In all, 53 patients were accommodated at a total cost of £1,243,
of which £328 was for equipment (which is now standing ready
for any future emergency), and £218 for repairs to the buildings
and maintenance of the grounds.
Beds had to be borrowed during the course of the outbreak
from Willesden Urban District Council, Staines Rural District
Council, and the Metropolitan Asylums Board, and our grateful
thanks are due to those Authorities who were able to tide us over
our difficulty. Without Dockwell Hospital the position would have
been quite impossible, owing to the fact that the Metropolitan
Asylums Board was towards the end unable to take any more cases.
I wish again to express my gratitude firstly to Miss Gribble,
A.R.R.C., one of our Health Visitors, whom I appointed as Matron,
and to the temporary nurses, who put up with inconveniences which
they would not have been expected to face in the ordinary run of
their work, and who materially helped to make the hospital the
success that it was.
The installation of electric light into the building made a very
markeddifference in the working facilities, apart from giving a
sense ofsafety which before was conspicuously absent.
As a result of the epidemic a campaign was set on foot to
immunise as many children as possible. A Public Meeting was
held in the Alexandra Schools, and a cinematograph film—