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4. Only a fraction of the full scheme for a colony at Ockendon
for mental defectives has been sanctioned and completed
(namely, one hundred and thirty-four beds instead of seven
hundred and fifty). This has not relieved the overcrowding at
Forest Gate Hospital, from which institution only a negligible
number of patients have been able to be transferred.
5. The recent decision of the Council to send adult cases of
chronic sick to Harold Wood will relieve the immediate shortage
of beds for such people, which is the most urgent problem at the
moment; but this is only a temporary measure and must obviously
involve a reduction of the number of beds available for acute
illness in children, which will create, in turn, a demand upon the
already overcrowded accommodation at Whipps Cross Hospital.
6. The restricting of admission to the Margate Convalescent
Home of children between the ages of five to fourteen years, and
moreover, only to those children whose parents are in receipt of
poor law relief, has rendered it particularly difficult to use this
institution to its full capacity.
7. A Psychological Clinic has been opened recently by the
Council at the Children's Hospital, Balaam Street, staffed from
the Mental Hospital at Goodmaves.
8. The agreements primarily existing with outlying authorities
for sending cases of smallpox to an institution belonging to
West Ham have not been renewed. West Ham cases of smallpox
are now being treated by arrangement with the London County
Council in their smallpox hospital.
The question of the shortage of institutional accommodation
for the sick of this borough is by no means a new one. As long
ago as 19,10 the wards at the Whipps Cross Hospital (then
called West Ham Infirmary) were grossly overcrowded and many
patients were sleeping on the floor, and the day rooms were then
(as they are now) used as wards.
With comparatively recent years a considerable amount of
accommodation has been secured in various ways: arrangements
have been made and in some instances agreements drawn up
between this Authority and other Authorities for the use of beds,
e.g.,
10 Beds for maternitv cases at the Plaistow Maternity
Hospital.
10 Beds for maternity cases at Queen Mary's Hospital.
10 Beds for children under 5 years at St. Mary's Hospital,
Plaistow.
16 Beds for sick babies at the Invalid and Crippled Children's
Society, Balaam Street Hospital, Plaistow.
4 Beds for orthopaedic cases at I.C.C.S. Balaam Street
Hospital.
6 Beds for cases of tonsils and adenoids operations at
Balaam Street Hospital.
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