Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12, 1947 HOSPITAL STAFF PROBLEM

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 93, 12 February 1947, Page 4

Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12, 1947 HOSPITAL STAFF PROBLEM

FEW institutions have suffered more severely from the prevailing labour shortage than public and private hospitals. The position became so critical that hospital boards in this and other districts were forced to restrict the remaining accommodation to urgently necessitous cases. Not only has the staff shortage precipitated a curtailment of hospital services in this way, but the equally regrettable situation has arisen of some institutions being faced with inability to give proper care even to urgent cases. "In a few cases," the 1946 report of the Health Department stated,' staff shortage had resulted "in inadequate care being given to patients." To overcome this tragic situation campaigns were launched for both nursing and domestic with an almost negligible result. That the situation remains critical was evidenced at the discussion by hospital board delegates at their conference in Dunedin, when staff matters occupied a large part of the deliberations. While endorsing the principle of' the 40-hour week for nurses, to bring them into line with other sections of the community, the conference was of the opinion that reduced hours would necessitate further closing down of wards, a step which some hospital authorities consider may be necessary in any case unless more staff can be found. One factor that is no doubt deterring many girls and young women from entering the nursing profession is the relatively small remuneration offered by comparison with that available for unskilled work with no responsibility. A ratification of this position should present little difficulty, and certainly such a matter should not be allowed to stand in the way of maintaining hospital services at full capacity. As to the suggestion from one quarter that girls are discouraged from taking up nursing because of the high, standard of training insisted on, there will be general agreement with the nursing division director, Miss Lambie, that nothing should be done to lower the standard. While staff depletions remain one of the chief barriers to the provision of full medical services, there appears no compensating easing of the public demand for hospitalisation. In 1938 there were 13,625 hospital beds in the Dominion, or 8.5 per 1000 of population. By 1945 the total had increased to 16,976 beds, or 10 per 1000, the highest known per capita rate in the world, Norway being next with slightly less than nine beds per 1000 population. Hospital authorities face, therefore, a doubly critical position in that they cannot maintain with their present staffs the full capacity of their existing institutions, let alone increase service to meet the phenomenal and increasing demands being made by a country with the doubtful distinction of .having the highest hospitalisation rate in the world. Another factor which is becoming increasingly serious in the maintenance of an efficient hospital system is the effect of stabilisation - on salaries offering for various executive and specialist appointments. The administration of a hospital has become a highly technical task. No matter how competent from a medical point of view may be the professional staff attached to a large institution, poor co-ordination of the various activities through inefficient administration must result in only second-rate service to the community. It is imperative, therefore, that no technicalities should be permitted to stand in the way of the hospitals securing the services of the most competent men in the various specialised fields of medical practice and the skilled administration required of modern hospital and public health systems.—'Dominion.'