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In the event of a major infectious disease arriving in the Port, the patient
or patients would be removed from the vessel to Denton Hospital pending arrangements
for the transference of such cases to the appropriate hospital under the management
of the South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
DENTON HOSPITAL.
Denton Hospital having been transferred. for administrative purposes, to the
Seamen's Group of Hospitals attached to the South-East Metropolitan Regional Hospital
Board relieves the Port Health Authority of all financial and adminstrative
obligations in regard to the hospital but it continues, by arrangement with the
Board. to provide the medical supervision and treatment.
Thus the Boarding Medical Officer on duty can admit without discussion or
delay, any case or suspected case of infectious disease. secure the necessary
isolation and provide immediate treatments While your Medical Officer is in
administrative charge of the medical services at the hospital, your Deputy Medical
Officer is in local chargee
(e) Ambulance Transport-
The Authority maintain four launches. three of which are suitably fitted
for ambulance works
The "Howard Deighton" is used by the Medical Officers as a boarding launch
and is fitted with an ambulance room on deck with accommodation for four
stretcher cases or eight walking cases.
The "Alfred Roach" normally used as a Sanitary Inspectors' duty launch
was designed so as to relieve the "Howard Deighton" should occasion ariseo
The vessel is constructed so that the saloon can be rapidly converted into
a sick'bay capable of carrying three stretcher cases and has a cockpit
with a sufficiently large open space to receive a stretcher and deep
enough to protect the occupants from inclement weather. It is capable of
accommodating eight sitting cases,
The "Alfred Robertson" which is normally used by the Sanitary Inspector
in the Middle River District has a fairly spacious after cabin in which a
stretcher case can be carried.
The "Frederick Whittingham" is a much smaller launch and is employed by
the Sanitary Inspector in the upper River District.
(f) Supervision of contacts-
In the event of a vessel arriving on which there is or has been a case or
cases of a major infectious disease, all persons on board are considered
to be possible contacts.
Such persons are individually interrogated as to the address to which they
are proceeding immediately on disembarkation and given a specially
prepared double post-card, on one half of which they give full details of
their names and addresses. These particulars together with an appropriate
note of the circumstances, are then forwarded to the Medical Officers of
Health of the district in which the contacts' address is situated. The
other half of the card they are asked to keep and use only should they
change their address during a specified period. usually the incubation
period of the diseases This half of the card is on the "Business Reply
Card" system so that the person concerned does not have to stamp it.
Cg) Arrangements for the Bacteriological or Pathological examination of Rats.
(h) Arrangements made for other Bacteriological and Pathological examinations.
During the year arrangements were concluded with the Central Public Health
Laboratory at Colindale for the bacteriological examination of rats and
also for other bacteriological and pathological examinations.
Arrangements for the diagnosis and treatment of Venereal Diseases among
sailors.
Arrangements made under the Brussels Agreement, 1924.
Arrangements for the interment of the dead.
The above remain as reported in my Annual Report for 1947.
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