HOSPITAL CONTROL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20489, 25 February 1941, Page 4

HOSPITAL CONTROL

T.B. BLOCK PLANS COOK BOARD MEETS NURSING STAFF REPORT Much of the business dealt with at the monthly meeting of the Cook Hospital Board yesterday afternoon was oi a routine nature.

Those present were Mr. M. T. Trafford, chairman, Mesdames A. E. Beer, E. R. Black and E. R. Scott, Dr. J. C. Collins, and Messrs. H. Adair, S. T. Gray. G. D. Muirhead and 11. J. F. Tombleson. Approval of the plans of the proposed tuberculosis block was notified by the Director-General of Health, Dr. M. W. Watt. Certain variations,of the specifications were recommended. The Heni Materoa Children’s Home committee of the Cook County Women's Guild forwarded its anntial statement of accounts.—The finance committee recommended that the Heni Materoa committee be given a motion of appreciation of its good work. The lady superintendent, Miss G. M. Leipst, reported that Sisters Barron, Runciman and Middleton, Staff-Nurse Rapley, and Nurses Warner, Lines, Hurlstone, McDonald, Mullaney and Donovan were on annual leave on February 6. Staff-Nurse Poynton had indicated that she wished to leave on February 15. Two other nurses desired to resign, finding the study too difficult, and still another had failed for the second time in the State preliminary examination, and appeared to take too little interest in her theoretical work. Special Cases Reported Upon The medical superintendent, Dr. R. J. B. Hall, submitted recommendations regarding the special cases of trainee nurses referred to by the lady superintendent, and these were approved. Miss D. M. Cox had reported for duty as sister-in-cliarge of the maternity annexe on February 3. Misses Cook, Davies, Evered, Sinclair, McLernon and Gordon had been appointed probationers. All the candidates who sat for th*e preliminary hygiene examination had secured a pass.

The lady superintendent acknowledged donations of sweets for the children’s ward from Mr. R. Hikee, magazines from anonymous ' donors, and race tickets from the Poverty Bay Turf Club. The custodian of the Memorial Home, Mr. F. J. Butler, reported that on February 1 there were 37 inmates, of whom 10 were women.

The visiting committee recommended that better dispensary and sterilising conditions were needed at the Memorial Home, and suggested that provision should be made in the new year’s capital expenditure. The manager of the hospital dairy farm reported revenue amounting to £156, and expenditure totalling £74 10s, leaving a surplus for the month of £Bl 10s. Finance Committee Report The finance committee reported that it had approved payments totalling £5273 from the general account, which, when all cheques were met, would be £3788 in debit. The committee recommended that £B7 be expended in treating the old tuberculosis block for timber-borer.

The managing-secretary, Mr. C. A. Harries, reported that the expenditure for January totalled £6330, of which £4324 was expended on the services and staff at the Cook Hospital. Receipts for the month amounted to £12,725, of which £1757 was from fees paid by the Social Security Department to the board, £3830 was from levies paid by local authorities, and £6330 was paid by the Health Department by way of subsidy. Fees charged during January amounted to £1389, due from the Social Security Department.

The medical superintendent advised that the number of patients in the wards had risen from 148 to 157 on January 31, 39 being infectious cases. A large number of cases of dysentery had been admitted, the maximum number at any one time being 40. Accommodation at the isolation block being insufficient, the isolation nurses’ home had been used for nursing cases. Of the 35 general cases which had been in hospital for two months or more, the majority were tuberculosis sufferers, who would require prolonged hospitalisation.