HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 95, 15 January 1908, Page 4

HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

l ••'!, - 'ANOMALY CONCERNING FEES. ( ' i< : RESIGNATION, OF SECRETARY. .' . NEW SCALE OF NURSES' SALARIES. ' Somo important matters' wore transacted,, iv by tho Hospital Trustees at their, meeting ; : yesterday. A new scale of nurses' salaries, [ was approved, , tho rfisignation of the Secre-- ' y i: taty (Mr. 11. H. Chinchen), was accepted ; with regret, \Mr. B. Wright (DunGdin) was' t :. appointed as the'now dispenser, a'nd ,an'in-<, teresting discussion took placo on. thor subject, j >■■ of in-patient'a', fees',-tho whichj; i : it was suggested, have not. ..increased; : tho recont increase of. .patients.;;-1-;:,, :/V' ' j ~ i. There wore present —Messrs. s ß.;;C.'::Kirb\;' . .F. G. Bolton, G. .London, J.,.Danks, .G, i . Nash, A.; C. 'Peafce, and W. H.' 'Hales!', ■ Mr. Kirk voted to. tho chair/' ■ Tn'mov- -' ' ing that the Hon. C. M. Luke'be re-elected ' - as chairman ; for tho, erisuing . ! yfcar,. ho said t, that Mr. Luko had essential qualities for tho i, //position, and /had givenvery great attention nv . to.the work.of tbo Trustees. -- : . Mr... London seconded tho motion, . which KV'/iiwas unanimously/adopted. '/ •• Mr; Danks ; was re-elected as Treasurer. !■;/ ; .' Mr.. 1 B. /Wright, ■ of tho D'unedin Hospital, ' was appointed' tho new dispenser.; ,Ho : ? wll bo ,ablo to tako up, tho duties without . ' dolay.. z:, ' , 1 , ORDERS OF ADMISSION./- v ■ / , Mr. London moved, and -Mr. ; Ewen' seconded, that iMayors and chairmen of ; , ,local.bodies be to:issuo, orders of »••;:.•! admission to tho hospital. The proposition was agreed to. .: ,- -..' r.-, Mr.- Pearco moved that/after; ?.March ;-.31j no ono bo allowed-to'l'issuo orders excopt .. . . members of tho Trust and>of' the-iDistricu k Hospital Board, Mayors,' and chairmen of I local bodies. This ■ -.Bolton.;.. . •, 1 i;:/r:v Tho motion was lost,; -tho-Chairman,;-who did not voto, ' .-that IhV'matter sbcfuld "be' brought UV) agaiif-'whe7i' r tfier3''was h ■; Sa larger meeting. ■ This suggestion .was approved by tho Trustees.. • /\ PATIENTS' FEES. , , , Tho financial ,f report for> the four -weelcs' ending January 13 showed, receipts £3145) 14s 7d. (including balanco brought 'forward ' ; £1060 15s. Gd.'), expenditure £1843 2s. 2d., t, i .'credit balanco £1306 12s 5d., iTho amount t recovered from in-patients, was £135 16s. id, .arid from out-patients '£17 12si Mr. Bolton ;saidvthat'- tho: l ni3mber' ,; bf 'pep-: «■ plo m the hospital was' very much larger than, it was afc this period /last year. Ho r. ... would liko to know if the'amounts, recovered- ' , from .in-patieiits were correspondingly larger. The Secretary said that, tho recoveries . J from in-"pationts for-" practically;'"the' same 1 ' t period last year amounted to £135.165. 4d. . Mr./Bolton emphasised that the , i,„ •, number rof- patiehts"w'as : " then;" . miicli smaller, yet tho .receipts , from them were larger. ;Ho understood thatjitheso. receipts |..-. 'were much smaller now than they wero last year or in-previous years.:/ In view of tho fact that, tbo attendanco at tho hospital, hid i,., very much increased in' recontiyears,'. andithat ;,:..';the'institution was taxed to"'its utmost acj,-. commodation, be wanted to know if any light •.• i could bo thrown on this subject.);'.: It seemed to him that the hospital was losing a great r / deal; which, it should . receive,:.in tho. way'of-- ; • Tccoveries from patients; *• iarid "it - was'"also , .losing the Government .subsidy on these, i,;i Tho Chairman said that no Government .. subsidy was paid on patients', fees* .'. Mr. Bolton moved that a ; return /bo- pre- : pared of; tho ih-patients'. and., out-patients' i', •/. fees , recovered f0r1904, 1905, "1906,. and • ■ t.-.';;10p7. ; .. Hp' did not suggest that anybody was at .fault, ,but, .ho- .wanted ■ to know i the: /; position./and why-tho returns wero smaller • than they ought to be. ; - ;V i ■ ■.<: • Tho Secretary said that ho had'submitted' , a return i three months ago, which showed , .-.that had been an increase. . Mr. Pqarce seconded the motion, which was carried, f ; / Tho_ Chairman, to .Mr. Bolton: .You will . . . find, that'tho report will not ; beai 'out voiir : information. * • * KTJRS ES' SALAJRpS ~ On the question of nurses'; salaries 3 tho : , mcdjcal supennteudehfc reported that he ' V' : . a jpcd/ *ifch tho suggestions• of ' 'tho :; iNorth Canterbury;Hospital.Boafd in regard : ' , to conipejling nurses to'uiidergoia four years' ir ; course of ; training instead of threo, as at present. it The difficulty of retaining the ser- • lc ® s . of . competpnt. •nurs'e3,:was,' inJiis ' . entirdy on° of pounds, shillings, and pence. ' In, Wellington they were, he thought, pay- : ing. too much to junior nurses, and too littlo , to sisters and staff nurses. , Ho' suggested. that probationers'be paid at the rate of' £12' : a year; nurses in their second year, "£2O: those in their third year, £30;./certificated . nurses, ■ £40 at first, and £50 .rafter .- six i months; sisters, £60 during thcir 'first-year , and £70 afterwards. Should the Trustees • <adopt these suggestions, ho felt sure tho.efficiency of tho - nursing staff ' would be- very : . materially increased. "Compared with;other / . hospitals, .Dr. Ewart/wrbt6j/"dur-!nursihg ,a small ono,;'but in l- this'connection' i : fact 'that-wo' aro treating largo'mimbers ' . .of cases of . scarlet fover, : 'cbronic. ..arid -.- con-'i ■; sumptivo cases, and that those do "'not 'r«-* ;•• luiro so much nursing as do acute cases, must bo taken into account, v Lately wo have ■ made provision for treating eight'lhorccu see ■' of consumption, at the samo time, a very cxteiisivo electrical departmont has been start- , ed. I'or the efficient, supervision, of.,tliese, > two more nurses should, in my opinion, be added to the staff. In a hospital such'sis ours thoro ought to be not less than one nurso,to pvety threo patients."- / ■ Tho committee recbmmendcd that tho scale of . salaries of tho nursing. stafF rccoramcndcd- ' % Dr. Ewart be'adopted, and 'that two ad-S . ditiohal-nurses bo. /■Tho chairman said .that' tho only' objection that-ho felt against tho, proposed new scale ! as . lll rcspect of reducing the salaries of probationers.; These had been accustomctf tj work for three months for not-hinc;, and aft-;r ' ' they were approved they found it very hard,' ' unless they wore assisted by friends, to mako their annual salary of £18 suffico. Now it • . was proposed to'reduce that salary to £12.' Mr. Pcarco'explained that really tho difference would only amount to 30s. on tho year, for whereas tho previous £18 had been ' an annual rate, the probationers only received during nino months,,making, a. total actually received of £13 lOs.r The committee had do- . finitely declared that thb now rato of' £12 per annum should be paid for. tho wholo year, bo that probationers would no, threo months for nothing. Tho actual annual reduction of 30s. would bo moro> than compensated for by, tho, fact that after two. years service nurses would roceivo an addition of-.£5 a year oil tho present rates. It was not an exceedingly difficult matter to got probationers who, for , the first-twelve, months did no.moro than earn- their food, if thoy didt that, but it was difficult t-j-rctai'i'.' / nurses after thoy had boon .'trained, and this" schemo would assist: their'retention. He' ■ moved tho adoption of tho medical superintendent's roport. Mr. M'Ewen seconded the motion,\ which #88 carried. It was explained that tho system of four years' training for nurses would not bo established without concerted action of tho jther Boards: OTHER, REPORTS, The Committee recommended, inter alia, that Sisters Katherinc and Bertha be granted bonuses of £25 and £15 respectively' in recognition of additional, work; • that.'the .resignation of tho head gardener (J. Tauchor) bo accepted, and that E. Goodwin, assistant, be promoted, with W. Henderson , as assistant; that a bonus of £15 be granted to tho dispenser (S. Smith) in recognition of the efficient management of his department; that a vote of thanks bo passed to tho John- , sonville Brass Band for giving a .performance in aid of Hospital Sunday, ' to Mrs. Bothuno and other ladies for taking up tho collection of £9 C--_, and to Mrs. F. . T. Mooro for taking charge of tho movement; that the services of Mr. E. Piatt bo' engaged to report upon tho inside plaster work of tho Nurses' Home; that Fairbank's weighing inachinc be procured for the Seddon Hospital; and that twelve garden seats be seleetod and placed in the grounds. It was reported that . thero- woro in tho main Hospital 131 malo patients and 80 females, making a total of 201, as against 164 at tho sarao dato last year; , Victoria

Hospital ,20 fomaleS;; Seddon -Hospital 14 males' females.,, making a grand total.'of 263 patients. SECRETARY'S RESIGNATION. Tho Secretary (Mr.iß. H. Chinchan) wroto stating, that he regretted exceedingly that owing: to' hi - stato' of Tiealth and the growing needs of. his. office ho was obliged to tender his resignation. This 1 step ; had become, iiecessary on account of tho increasing demands consequent upon tho vast expansion <?f,,tho ; institution, especially during tho last twp years.;' The long hours and multiplicity ■'of dulies.;hadi been, very exacting during that : period;;23V,;;;, • „\-;;The:\Chairman said that it was. recom-.;mended-.Jliy /the House Committee that the iresigriatibnl'sKiiuld be accepted with reeret, ! and .thatitlia:Bpard should appoint Mr. Chin* '|assi§tarit,i,secretary and collector,, with the out-patients'*do* of ,£3 a week, and that rixiyjted for the office of seca.year.. wero adopted, on the seconded by Mr. Pesirce', and ft'was decided to ask the House Committee. to define the' positions of ■ the secretary and tho steward. ; :