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view of a later opinion of the Regional Hospital Board, it is of
interest to note that in this case the Hospital Group Management
Committee was not that of our own area.
By the time this correspondence had reached its conclusion,
the Health Committee had met, and the case was in the hands of the
Legal Department. Eventually a day was secured for hearing at
court, but upon visiting the old lady to serve her notice of this, it
was discovered that she had died.
Case No. 5.
An old lady had fallen sick. She was being looked after by her
tenants. They brought the case to the notice of the Health Department
when the old lady's demands became so exacting that they
were unable to secure an unbroken night's sleep. In consultation
with the family doctor, it was learned that the old lady's condition
did not lend itself to diagnosis without hospital facilities, but that
she had refused to enter hospital for investigation and possible
treatment.
When visited, her circumstances were entirely sanitary, and
it was evident that she was receiving adequate attention from her
tenants, although at some inconvenience to them. The tenants
refused to say whether they were or were not willing to continue
their attention, and the old lady refused to have home help or to go
to hospital.
Within a day or two, we were informed by the tenants that they
had found it necessary to leave the address. Visiting with the
family doctor, we found conditions still to be as before, except that
the old lady was unattended. A relative was to visit the old lady
from time to time in order to look after her. We expressed dissatisfaction,
and did our best to persuade the old lady to accept home
help or transfer to hospital. She refused. That same day we essayed
to discover how the National Assistance Act or any other Act might
be operated in order to force the old lady into hospital. In the end
it was evident that there was no power to proceed with a celerity
suited to the case, but in the realisation that the requisite seven
day's notice constituted an immovable barrier, we decided to operate
the National Assistance Act with all possible speed, and a message
was conveyed to the relatives, impressing upon them the changed
nature of the case now that the old lady was unattended by her
tenants. Upon the following morning, information was received
that the old lady had died during the night.