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AMBULANCE SERVICE.
The Council has the following ambulances for use by the
Burgesses, under certain qualifying conditions:—
Whipps Cross Hospital
(Public Assistance Committee) 5
Plaistow Hospital
(for infectious cases only) 2
Public Health Committee and
Highways Committee 3
The two ambulances under the control of the Public Health
Committee made 2,272 journeys during the year. The number of
persons conveyed from one address to another in the district was
1,101, and 1,171 persons were taken from an address within the
Borough to an address outside, or vice versa. These ambulances
are only used for non-infectious and accident cases, or for cases
requiring immediate removal to hospital for treatment or operation,
and in the latter cases a medical certificate is required.
Information regarding the use of the ambulances is circulated
by means of notices exhibited in fire stations, schools, and
other public buildings; also the police have knowledge of the
arrangements pertaining, and often themselves get into touch with
the ambulance station.
Reciprocal arrangements are still in operation with the County
Borough of East Ham and the Borough of Barking, for the use
of their respective ambulances, on call, in cases of emergency,
should the ambulance of one or other authority be unavailable.
The journeys made under this arrangement are as under:—
In eight cases the East Ham Ambulance was used for the
removal of West Ham cases, and in 23 instances the West Ham
Ambulance was used to remove East Ham cases.
Towards the end of the year one of the ambulances which
had been in commission for eight years was found to be beyond
further use, and a new Talbot Ambulance is to be provided.
The Plaistow Fever Hospital has stationed there vehicles
specially designed for dealing with removal of bedding, clothing,
or any infected material, to the disinfecting station, which is
attached to the hospital.
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