A NEW USE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 114, 10 November 1939, Page 8

A NEW USE

RACING GRANDSTAND

EMERGENCY HOSPITAL

MILITARY PATIENTS

As a result of the influenza epidemic at Trentham Camp the military authorities have commandeered the main grandstand and the kiosk at the Trentham Racecourse at Trentham and handed them over to the Wellington Hospital Board as an emergency hos pital. It is not expected that any other buildings will be needed,bbust s if tlie necessity arises other buildings will be taken over.

The buildings were taken over on Wednesday morning, and since then, owing to the organising ability of Dr. A. R. Thorne, Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital, *a surprising transformation of the buildings has taken place. In the work Dr. Thorne has had the assistance of Mr. J. Purvis, the Hospital Board representative.

The two dining-rooms and the kiosk have been, made into -wards, the smaller lunch room containing about 40 beds and the l»rj?c> 4inmg-room abovt 109, the balance being in the kiosk. There are at present 169 patients.

The kitchen, which has been augmented, is working at full pressure, and tne cocm*«-.iUricn room * and the adjoining building are being rapidly fitted up to provide bathrooms.

Dr. Thorne is superintending the al terations and additions. The patterns are under the care of Sister M. Hennessy, who is assisted by Sister Bass. The nursing staff consists of six trained nurses and a number of trainees, four V.A.D.S, and two nursing aids.

It is desired to increase the number of nursing aids. Mr. J. Purvis has issued an appeal for any local young women to help in the work. It is also desired that local applicants only be appointed, as the accommodation for the nursing staff is at present limited. The nurses at present are occupying the ladies' rooms upstairs in the grandstand where there is limited accommodation only.

Dr. Charters, medical registrar of the Hospital Board, visits the,hospital regularly to oversee the work.

With the exception of the blankets^ which have beeri supplied by the military authorities, the supplies of cooking utensils, crockery, foodstuffs, etc., have been sent out from the Wei- ; lington Hospital. j An agreement has been reached between the Defence Department and the Health Department under which the latter will take over, all cases which i are likely to require 24 or more hours' of hospital treatment. There are, of course, a number of border-line cases, and it is chiefly these ahd other mild cases which are located at the racecourse. CONVALESCENT PATIENTS. In addition to these cases about 20 convalescent patients are being accommodated at the residence attached to the property recently taken over from Mr. Pearce in Lower Hutt for the purpose of a Hutt Valley hospital and a number are also at Island Bay. There are at present 122 soldier patients at Wellington, 169 at the racecourse, 20 at Lower Hutt, and a number at Island Bay. For these patients the board receives the usual hospital Social Security payment of 6s per day per patient, but as this is nothing like sufficient to meet <■ the cost the board has made request for a further 5s per patient from' the Defence Department. The board contends that as the patients come from all parts of the Dominion it is unfair that ratepayers of the Wellington district should be asked to bear the burden. The patients at the racecourse appeared this morning to be very happy and comfortable. A number werej reading, others writing letters, while one was playing a guitar. !

It was suggested by the Press representative that the gift or the loan of, say, three radio sets would be a boon for : the patients and that visits from a band or bands on Saturdays and Sundays would be appreciated. Mr. Purvis agreed and asked that an appeal be made for help of this kind and also for reading matter.

In addition to the work being done for ; the soldiers in the Hutt Valley, the Wellington Hospital Board recently took over, on a three years' lease from Dr. B. J. Dudley, the building used for many years as a private hospital in Knight's Road; Lower Hutt. This building is now being renovated and fitted up as a maternity' hospital for Hutt Valley patients.

The Lower Hutt Chamber of Coml.ierce at its last meeting decided to lodge a protest against the lack of action of the Hospital Board in regard to proceeding with the erection of the Hutt Valley, hospital. The chamber commended the action of Mrs. P. Dowse in her protest at the board meeting.

It was pointed out ' that with the closing of the bKnight's Road private hospital there was now no general hospital accommodation in either Lower Hutt or Petone.

feature of their camp and, judging from remarks passed to a "Post" representative yesterday, read with malicious delight a description of another training camp which listed footscrapers amongst comforts provided for the soldiers. "We need no footscrapers at Trentham," said one officer with a grin.