MR. TOOGOOD'S REPLY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 147, 19 December 1944, Page 4

MR. TOOGOOD'S REPLY

The chairman of the Wellington Hospital Board (Mr. H. F. Toogood) makes i the following reply:— -Few, if any, public hospitals have the'extra accommodation which would enable them to meet epidemic conditions without adopting some expedi- . ents. In fact, it is recognised by statutory provisions that the adoption of expedients should be the course followed, and that schools, etc.. should be ■ taken over for emergency purposes. In j such temporary accommodation hosi pitaJisation is difficult for the staff and uncomfortable for the patients, and the j difficulties in preventing cross infection between the two prevailing infections is vastly increased. Epidemic conditions exist at uresent in respect ;to scarlet fever, and chickenpox, which might be considered as endemic, also appears to be again troublesome. With staff shortages the difficulties are further increased. With these facts in mind, the provisions made by the Hospital Board and the valiant ell'orts and splendid work done by the nursing j stall might be more fully appreciated I The hospital Board is indebted to the I Wellington Racing Club for the use of a building at Trentham which has ! been adapted for epidemic hospitali.satipn. It has a suitable permanent kitchen, a high-pressure steam supply, and reasonable sanitary provisions; all of which are of great value in respect to the working conditions. Incomplete as it may be in some respects, there is no other such accommodation in the board's district, and had Trentham not been made available and schools, etc., had been the only recourse, both staff and patients would have had much more to put up with Even a modicum of appreciation for the manner in which the short-handed trained nursing staff has stood up to the task would be of greater value at ; the present time than the statistics .asked for by your correspondent.