CITY'S ATTITUDE

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 113, 16 May 1938, Page 10

CITY'S ATTITUDE

hospital Proposals

"ONLY ONE DECISION"

■THE NURSING STAFF

An assertion that all the submissions contained in the evidence given by the Town Clerk (Mr. E." P. -Norman) had not been endorsed by the Wellington City council was made at the sitting ol the Hospital Commission ■ today by Mr. P. M. Butler, a member of the council. Mr. Butler said he wished to make it clear that only one of the submissions, that the new hospital construction should be as economical as was possible without loss of efficiency, bad. been endorsed by the council. The personnel of the Commission is as follows:—Mr. A. H. Youngf of Christchurch, principal Stipendiary Magistrate, chairman; Mr. D. S. Wylie, C.M.G., C.8.E., of Palmerston Norths nledical practitioner; Dr. H. Hardwick{Smith, of Wellington, medical practitioner. ' • ' Mr. A. E. Clirrie is appearing for the Crown, Mr. /J. O'Shea (City Solicitor* for the Wellington^City Council, and other contributory bodies, and Mr. G. R. Powles'for the Wellington Hospital Board; , The other suWnissions, which, Mr! Butler said,-h|d' not been endorsed or aiscusr#! by the City Council, were:— That persons .who are able to pay should do so by being treated m a ward or wards set aside as intermediate or community wards, and others who can pay, something should pay according to their capacity and more in accordance' with the average for New Zealaad; and, that .owing to the fact that*the hospital is becoming much jnore.than a district , hospital and is_a * central, base hospital, for patients in other districts 1 requiring special treatment," the Government should make a special annu,al contribution in addition, to the usual subsidy on expenditure.

NO MANDATE GIVEN. In reply to Mr. O'Shea, Mr. Butler said that to his knowledge the council had, not delegated the Mayor to represent it. As he himself had stated, the Mayorhad attended conferences in his private capacity. He had no mandate from the councjl to makie any statement on its b'ehalf;' ' •> iou say that ( the,'council has prepared any written statement or instruction to the Mayor as to what he should say or do?— The council has made only' one decision, as I have stated." The other points were not discussed at all. . Btit the Mayor was acting for the council?—He says he was not. Was. anyone else . acting . for the Council?—l am not objecting to Mr. Norman giving Evidence. , They rre the views of the Town Clerk apparently .in conjunction 1 with the Mayor?—l don't know whose vifews they are: They" may be valuable or they may- not, but they are not the views of the council. I am not prepared to discuss whether Mr. Norman was right or wrong in regard to the community hospital. I am only giving toy. personal opinion that the community hospital is wrong. It has been put before this Commission by doctors, that there are certain people who, by reason of their financial status, .are: excluded,from receiving benefit at the Wellington Hospital. They suggest that some provision should be made whereby those people could get the benefit of the equipment of the hospital, and they also suggest that it could not be got In any other place?— Yes. I may be prejudiced, but I- really don't think there should be any class distinction In the ti-eatment of people. In a community hospital you are going to have ■that feeling, that suspicion, and I suggest that it should not operate. , WORK OF NURSING GUILD. Sister Vera Collins, sister in charge of the work of the District Nursing Guild of St. r John, "gave evidence regarding the guild's, activities in Wellington. The guild, she said, had been established in Wellington for about forty years. The work was financed partly by the income of an endow- j ment fund collected many years ago, partly by current voluntary subscriptions, and partly by an annual grant from the Wellington Hospital Board.,: The board also put at the guild's dis- ] posal one registered nurse who worked ibr the guild, lull time, the board paying her salary and living-out allowance. The board also provided j the guild with drugs and dressings and did the dry sterilising. For the last year the guild had supplied a motor-car, and for other travelling trams were used. There was a lpt of walking to do Besides witness v there was a staff of three full-time ' registered nurses. The guild's district was the whole of "Wellington south,of Khandallah and Ngahauranga. The fcoard had no separate nurse within this area. •Witness said thaftio'charge had been made by the guild until the end of last year, when a system was introduced of making a-small charge to those m . receipt of a small income. As fat ?s known the nurses only attended people unable to pay regular nursing fees. Sometimes they were imposed upon. Caises requiring medical or surgical attention which the patient could not afford were referred to the social welfare department of the Wellington Hospital. A number of the guild's cases were referred, to it by the hospital almoner for home nursing as after-care treatment of the discharged patients. The guild did all the hospital work ih this respect in its district. . ~ In cross-examination, witness said she thought that the guild could do much more work with better transport arrangements. Most of the cases attended were those that would otherwise have to go into hospital. There were many people who were prepared to pay' a small charge for visits, and she thought that aspect of the work could be developed. The Hospital Board had never questioned any request for assistance. ■' Miss B. L. Clark, acting' matron at the Wellington Hospital, said that 75 v - members of the trained nursing staff of §9 were living on the hospital premises. * There had to »be a sufficient staff in the hospital all the time to pieet possible 'emergencies. All the nurses living out were living with their own people. ■ The total of nurses who could possibly live out was under 50, but it had been proved clearly that suitable -accommodation could not be found -and, in addition, that the nurses could not afford to pay present charges HOSPITAL UNDERSTAFFED. In reply to Mr. Powles, witness said that from the nursing point of view the present hospital was understaffed The trained staff worked about 6C hours per week and the trainees aboul 48. A very close watch was kept or hours, and the total seldom exceeded 48. It has been suggested that a 40-houi week is worked ■by the nurses at the hospital. You are in a position tc gay that it is not?—^Yes. There is one exception, and that ii the Ewart Hospital?— Yes, the T.B. annexe. You are very particular that the 4( hours are not exceeded there?— Very Have the nurses had any increase ii