STAFF SHORTAGE

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 4, 29 September 1944, Page 3

STAFF SHORTAGE

Hospital Board Feels Grave Concern POSITION REGARDED AS SERIOUS

Concern at the serious staff shortage ill the institutions uuder its control was expressed at last night's meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board, which had before it a long report on the subject by the superintendent-in-chief, Dr. Cairuey.

With the opening of the Hutt hospital, said Dr. Cairney, it had been possible to transfer a certain number of service patients to the service wards there and that in turn had enabled the patients in the fever medical ward to be brought down to a ward in the main hospital. In that way, the entirely unsatisfactory arrangement of a medical ward at the fever hospital hud been eliminated and at the same time additional beds nt the fever hospital had been made available for infectious cases. _ All patients with pulmonary tuberculosis had at last been removed from the general wards of the hospital. . .. A more satisfactory separation or medical from surgical cases had also been made and within the past few weeks it had been possible to begin to deal in a small way with the admission of wait-ing-list patients, many of whom bad been awaiting admission for a very considerable time and ryliose cases on medical and economic grounds merited earlier attention. “Such is the continued demand lor admission of patients, specially ou the medical side,” added Dr. Cairney, ‘ that ' it has not yet been ppssible, in spite of the changes already made, to eliminate to any degree the overcrowding in the older wards which arc now occupied by general medical cases. This phase will come later when the full accommodation at Silverstrenm becomes available. It is particularly unfortunate that it has not been possible to build up the nursing staff during the past few years to a degree adequate to meet the present requirements in respect of beds.” Dr Cairney submitted a table showing 2035 available beds in the board's institutions, the estimated nursing staff required being .1097. The present nursing staff was 864. It was obvious, he said, that the board had a very strong case to put; forward for obtaining additional nursing staff by anv means that might become available. Should such measures fail, the board would have to consider reducing the number of available beds. Drastic Action Urged. “Notwithstanding that every within the circumscribed power ot tne board, has been made to overcome stair shortages, a position bus now been reached where some drastic action must be taken if the hospitals under the control of the board are to be occupied to their capacity,” said the chairman, Mr. H. h. Toogood. “The hope of opening the Buverstream hospital at the end ot October and of providing 30 extra maternity beds nt Lower Hutt in December will be frustrated unless suitable staff is available for these purpos V , , . “The present staff shortages in the institutions controlled by the board are:-— Nursing staff, 233; kitchen staff, 52, domestic staff, 54; laundry staff, 12; a total of 351 women. The position is now so acute as to brook no delay, and something has to be done. There are two courses open—one, to compel, by force of public opinion, the release of women from other sources of employment, and the second, to limit the beds to a number which can be handled by the staff available. The shortage of women for hospital work can in the main bo accounted for by the number in uniform and the number employed in jobs usually held by men. Without a release of labour from these sources the manpower authorities seem to have a bare labour market to deni with. “The second alternative of reducing bed occupancy is unthinkable till every other avenue of relief has been exploited, but hospital accommodation must be diminished unless stuff shortages are made up. With its present staff the board should be serving 300 fewer beds, and on the basis of averages should be denying hospital treatment to nearly 500 new patients each month. This cannot bo done; no patient who has been certified as requiring urgent treatment can be turned away. “The board is now compelled to seek, by force of public opinion, an answer to its problem, and to make an open challenge to the’ armed forces and to industries to prove that their need for womanpower is greater thau that of hospitals.” Defeating an Ideal.

Mr. A. P. O’Shea said the question was not merely one of nurses, because he did not think the nurses were in the country. The people were supposed to get free medical treatment, but shortage of staff was defeating that ideal. It was ludicrous that at such a time a 40-hour week was in operation, Mrs. Knox Gilmer said that the manpower authorities could possibly, find from the services enough staff for the kitchen, the diet department and the laundry, but the difficulty of getting trained staff, civil nurses, V.A.D’s and'nursing aids could only be.overcome by overtures to the Prime Minister, to private nurses and to those who had retired. Miss A. Kane: Quite a few domestic workers have been manpowered into Government departments and that is a big factor in the present shortage. Miss B. Cable: I think we could easily find a body of women to be manpowered into the hospital. There is a body of young women at Trentham serving meals to soldiers. Many of the men, I am given to understand, would prefer to have men orderlies. Under pressure, the Minister would perhaps release these girls for the hospital. Mr. C. Meachcu said he was somewhat perturbed at a return which showed 88 of the staff, or slightly more than 10 per cent., on sick leave. Was that because of overwork? He suggested that the authorities be approached for the release of trained voluntary aids from the Order of St. John and the Red Cross Society. The chairman said that the hospital could take in and deal with GO new trainees every two months if they were available.