HOSPITAL BOARD POLICY

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26847, 27 September 1952, Page 8

HOSPITAL BOARD POLICY

MR J. J. BROWNLEE’S COMMENTS

BUILDING PROGRAMME DISCUSSION

In fairness to the board, the building policy prepared by the building committee and unanimously adopted by the board should be fully set out, said the chairman of the North Canterbury Hospital Board’s building committee (Mr J. J. Brownlee) yesterday, commenting on criticism of the board’s building policy which appeared in a leading article in “The Press” yesterThe policy statement, which was in the committee’s report considered by the board at Its meeting on Wednesday, was as follows:

"That as requested your committee has given earelul consideration to the secretary’s report of August 22, detailing the decisions reached in the past regarding Cashmere Hospital and the board’s building policy generally. Evidence has been heard as to the requirements of the district over the coming 10 years both as regards hospital beds and hospital services, and opinions have been obtained from the medical superintendent, architect, and medical advisers attached to the committee. In order to provide the facilities needed, your committee unanimously recommends that steps be taken to ensure that Cashmere Hospital be built to its full 540-bed capacity without interruption, and that no other building project on the board's programme be permitted to interfere with this objective. It is further recommended that this principle be accepted as the board's firm policy, and that it be not upset, as In the past, by varying departmental opinion It is maintained that only the minimum of ancillary services necessary to the functioning of 240 medical beds should be nrovided in Stage 1. ' "Your committee now suggests that having adopted the policy as set out above, the board should invoke the assistance of the Cashmere Hospital Medical Advisory Committee to obtain suggestions concerning the manner in which this policy can be made effective. and Cashmere Hospital correlated to the board’s other institutions.

"Consideration was iso given to the erection of the 60-bed ward block and ancillary services proposed at Burwood Hospital, this project being discussed in relation to the board's overall building nrogramme and to its overall bed requirements. After receiving the views of the medical superintendent and architect, it is your committee’s firm recommendation that beds at Burwood HosnitaL designed primarily to act as a stoo-gap until the opening of Stage I. Cashmere Hospital, be erected urgently."

"Stop-gap Relief Required” The board urgently required additional good hospital beds, Mr Brownlee said yesterday. Through delays, some caused by varying departmental opinions and soma unavoidable, Caahmere Hospital would be completed much later than was originally anticipated. Still, it was the unanimous opinion of the building committee, board, and its expert medical and architectural advisers. that those hospital beds could be obtained most expeditiously by pushing forward Cashmere Hospital to completion, and by allowing no other work to interfere with that objective. Because of those unavoidable delays, some urgent stop-gap relief was required. and it is the board’s unanimous opinion that that could best be obtained by the erection of an additional 60 beds at Burwood Hospital In temporary construction, Mr Brownlee said. Those beds could not in any way fulfil an alternative hospital function—they were to be erected at a fraction of the usual cost of hospital beds and were only to be used to accommodate carefully selected patients from Christchurch Hospital to relieve the present main institution until Cashmere Hospital was completed. "Hospital policy problems have been Investigated fully, and the board Is perfectly aware of the difficulties which will be encountered before the goal, as stated in the board's firm policy, is reached,” Mr Brownlee said. ‘'Having now decided on the nath to he followed, the board is confident that, with your heln and the suonort of Christchurch citizens generally, it can provide the citv with a form of hospital accommodation of which it can be truly proud.”