‘Hospital used as hotel’

Press, 21 July 1976, Page 5

‘Hospital used as hotel’

The North Canterbury Hospital Board will survey some of its hospital patients to ascertain how many are not receiving treatment between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., the institutions committee was told. The medical superinten-dent-in-chief (Dr L. McH. Berry) said there may be patients who receive treatment during the day, and use the hospital as a hotel at night. These people could become day-patients. They did not need to occupy beds he said.

The survey might show that 25 per cent of patients could be home between 7 p.m. and 7 aun. with medication, or it might show that for social reasons it was not possible, said Dr Berry. The day-patient scheme had been used for children for a long time, and most of their stays in hospitals averaged two to three days, he said. The committee also heard about three staff members who presented appeals to the Accident Compensation Commission on July 15. The appeals were a test case for employees who contract infectious diseases. The Hospital Boards' Association has been asked to discuss with the commission the question of work related illnesses as opposed to injuries. The medical superintendent of Christchurch Hospital (Dr R. A. Fairgray) told the committee that he had written to the D.S.I.R. regarding the possible use by the board of an Intoximeter, a machine which was used to determine whether drivers who were

admitted to hospital after traffic accidents had been drinking. Dr Fairgray said that accident and emergency staff at Christchurch Hospital were spending a lot of time collecting specimens of blood which were never used. With an Intoximeter, blood specimens needed only to be taken from drivers with positive test results. The Ministry of Transport was also endeavouring to get a machine for use by the board, he said.