Allocation Of 240 Beds In New Cashmere Hospital

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28314, 27 June 1957, Page 10

Allocation Of 240 Beds In New Cashmere Hospital

With only 18 months remaining before the first beds at the new Cashmere Hospital become available for occupation, the North Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday adopted the recommendation of the hospital commissioning committee that 120 beds be for medical cases, including a proportion of geriatrics, and 120 beds for general and specialist surgical cases.

A 16-bed unit on the ground floor will continue to be designated as a convalescent unit until its purpose is more clearly defined. On the first floor will be the physiotherapy department and two general medical wards. On the second floor will be the radiology department and two general medical wards.

The pathology department and the gynaecology and the genitourinary specialist clinic will be on the third floor, where the wards will be for gynaecology and thoracic surgical cases. Theatres, central sterilising and recovery ward will be the departments on the fourth floor, where there will also be two 30-bed surgical wards.

“No firm recommendation is made as to whether sexes should be segregated, although it is appreciated that the thoracic ward must necessarily contain both male and female cases,” reported the committee. “The mixing of sexes is desirable from the viewpoint of medical administration, however, difficulties are forseen with regard to bathroom, toilet and day-room facilities.” Physician-Superintendent

The board approved another recommendation that a physiciansuperintendent be appointed to Cashmere, to be an officer having suitably high clinical attainments and to be in control of an appropriate number of medical beds. Surgical cases will be attended by two of the board’s five surgical teams.

The staff had reported that the demands for medical cardiological beds had decreased to the stage where a 30-bed ward did not

appear warranted and suggested that the ward be given over for general medical purposes. The staff felt it was desirable that the urological department should remain at the Christchurch Hospital until the final stage of Cashmere was completed. Medical staffing proposals were based on the contention that the advent of Cashmere Hospital, handling almost entirely waitinglist surgery, would not materially increase the total amount of surgery performed in all the board’s institutions. On the opening of the first stage, the board would reduce the present overcrowding at the Christchurch Hospital by eliminating balcony beds and stretchers. Loan of £200,000 As soon as the order-in-council stating the terms of the further loan of £200,000, the board would go on the market, reported the finance committee. In order that the public might be fully informed of progress on the hospital, the architect was directed to co-operate with representatives of newspapers and the broadcasting service to have access to the building and such information as they might require. The board decided to appoint a commissioning officer to begin duty at least by the time the first buildings were handed over to the board.