NURSES’ KITCHEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 106, 14 February 1949, Page 4

NURSES’ KITCHEN

Proposed Alterations PLANS TO BE PREPARED Proposed alterations to the kitchen at the nurses’ home were discussed recently reported the building committee to the monthly meeting of the Ashburton Hospital Board to-day. The committee reported on this discussion as follows: “Mr William Thomas, the architect, contended that it would be wise to wait until the Health Department had dealt with . the new maternity ward and maternity nurses’ accommodation before alterations be carried out at the nurses’ home kitchen, for it was his opinion that should the Health Department consider that a new maternity ward only is required and not a nurses’ home, then it would be necessary .to alter the nurses’ home accommodation to a sufficient degree to cope with the increased staff. On the other hand, should the new maternity nurses’ home be built, then the accommodation at the hospital nurses’ home would be relieved by that number. “The Medical Superintendent, Mr A. J. Mason, considered that the alteration to the present nurses’ home kitchen was desirable for the reason that more storage, space was now required, as a result of the 40-hour week and the necessity of buying and storing week-end requirements. Further, the staff per patient employed at this hospital Weis lower than the New Zealand average, and at least accommodation for that average staff figure should be available. The existing nurses’ home dining-room accommodation was used to capacity at each of the two sittings now, and by extending the kitchen a corresponding extension of the dining-room could be made. “After a study of the position it was recommended that Mr Thomas be asked to sketch out plans of the kitchen alterations and submit prices to the next meeting of the committee.” The report of the committee was adopted practically without discussion. Present at to-day’s meeting were Mr C. A. Campion (chairman), Mrs F. Curtis, and Messrs L. A. Charles, R. Oakley, E. T. Grigg and W. H. Wilkinson.