Cheviot Hospital

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31224, 23 November 1966, Page 9

Cheviot Hospital

There was a good attendance of women of the Cheviot district recently at a public meeting called to discuss the continuation of medical services in the district, in particular the problem of staffing at the Cheviot hospital, which serves as a maternity hospital for a community of some 3000 persons. The hospital is controlled by the North Canterbury Hospital Board, and provides accommodation for six patients with a normal staff of two fulltime nursing sisters. The Hospital Board has intimated that closure of the hospital is a possibility if suitable and adequate staffing is not available.

The present matron, who has served the hospital for about 12 months and who has been the only full-time, qualified nursing sister there since last April, will relinquish her position this month. Working on a roster system, registered nurses, who have retired from active nursing and now reside in the district, have supplied assistance for the matron, taking over duties on her days and hours off. This, however, could only be a temporary measure as these nurses have had to make considerable sacrifice of home and family life to maintain the roster. Appreciation of their willingness to step into the breach was expressed at the meeting, the chairman of which was Mrs R. G. Anderson.

Speakers at the meeting were Dr. B. F. Heyward, the Cheviot County Chairman (Mr R. G. Anderson), the secretary of the Cheviot branch of Federated Farmers (Mr A. Foster) and Mr T. Barnes, superintendent of the Cheviot St. John Ambulance Brigade. Local Efforts

Dr. Heyward gave details of the efforts he had made to bring the local problem before all departments which might be able to influence and remedy the present situation.

During the last two or three years Cheviot had supplied the hospital with its own nursing sisters, who had returned to the district after completing their training, said Dr. Heyward. Therefore, it could be said that Cheviot has been coping with its own staff problem. Mr Anderson said that to

close the hospital would be a retrograde step as it would also affect the local practitioner and the chemist If these services were lost to the community it would be difficult to obtain workers on our farms.

The Cheviot County Council had also written to the Minister of Health suggesting that something be done to ensure that the staffing of country hospitals is not the problem it is at present, Mr Anderson said. Effect On Ambulance

Mr Barnes, in speaking for the St. John Ambulance Division, said the functioning of the Brigade would suffer if, as a result of the closing of the hospital, the doctor would also be forced to leave. The work of the Ambulance would be difficult to carry out, training would be inadequate and, except for severe accident cases, brigade personnel could not take the responsibility of moving borderline cases, also the hospitals would not accept medical cases without a doctor’s letter. The meeting resolved to send a deputation of four women to meet the North Canterbury Hospital Board and discuss mutual problems. A letter is to be sent to the Midwives’ Association asking that the attractions of nursing in country areas be more widely publicised to its’s nursing members. A letter is also to be sent to the Hospital Board with the following suggestions: That country service be recompensed by an increased salary; that an extra sittingroom be provided solely for the matron; that immediate improvements, as planned, be carried out to the sterilising room; and that advertisements for matron and sisters be more attractively worded, more widely advertised, and that the positions be offered to suitable persons.