BOTTLE LAKE HOSPITAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17328, 17 November 1916, Page 4

BOTTLE LAKE HOSPITAL.

STATEMENT BY MINISTER,

NOT A MATTER FOR THE DEPARTMENT.

The Hon G. W. Russell (Minister of Public Health and Hospitals) was inter vie wed yesterday morning in reference to tho Bottle Lake Hospital. Mr Russell said his attention had' been drawn to the interviews given by. Mr Fhipps in. reference to the sad death of his daughter at the hospital, and he noticed in an interview published on Tuesday Dr Duncan had st-ttWd that the Hospital Board had made frequent applications to the Minister of Public Health for assistance in putting the institution on a better footing and assistance was now promised. With reference to this, the Minister stated that when the epidemic of scarlet fever assumed such unprecedented proportions in Canterbury the Department arranged with the board for the erection of marquees and did everything ./possible under the circumstances to meet the position. As these temporary expedients were not satisfactory, Mr Russell /paid a personal visit" to Bottle Lake with members of the board over two months ago. Extensions of the buildings were arranged for, and tho first block was now nearing completion. . \ He asked:. What more could have been done? ' The Public Health Department did not administer hospitals; this was entirely in the hands of the board. The questions raised in Mr Phipps's interview and the editorial comments of the " Lyttelton Times '.' were subjects for consideration of the board, not of the Department. In view of the unexpected difficulties that had occurred in Christchufch, and of what had been done by the board and the Department, he did not consider it necessary to take any further action in the matter, believing the board and its officers were quite caoable of acting in the best interests of the patients. The complaints which had been made were largely matters ol detail, the settlement of which must be left to the board and its officers^

AN EX-PATTENT'S-VTEWS. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —As an ex-patient of recent date permit me to bring under your notice a row of the disadvantages which the patients at Bottle Lake Hospital have to contend with. In tho first place the, ambulance waggons which 'convey patients to Bottle Lake have only to bo travelled in by a sick person to realise what an uncomfortable and rough mode of transit still'exists. The stretchers in them are so close to the floor that every jolt of the van causes the sick person to strike the floor. The motor r men are quite aware of this, and, to give them credit, they endeavour to go as easy as it is possible. Until about lour weeks ago the number of nurses was quite sufficient to cope with all the work, but the administrator saw fit to reduce them, three night nurses being reduced to two. A complaint was made that the two nurses were unable to cope with the work, and that patients had to get up at all hours of the night to attend to the wants of crying children, ao the third nurse was brought on again. ' ,• In the male ward there was a senior nurse, one junior nurse, and one probationer on duty in the mornings, hut the junior nurse was taken away and the other two nurses were unable to do the necessary work. This was brought under the matron's notice, and another probationer was put; on in the place of the junior nurse j but the maid was taken away and her duties, such as gleaning the range . and fireplaces, sweeping and mopping floors, was allotted to the nurses, this still leaving a member of the staff short in the wards, so that something has to go, and this can be seen in the increase of sickness amongst the patients that were progressing, especially amongst the children. • The nurses are working at a very high pressure all the time, and have had to continue with no set duties or i regular hours. . Of late it has occurred that they have not been able to .find time to go and have their morning and afternoon tea. Ow-. ing to ill-health ft senior nurse left, and another was sick, and this has left two nurses (probationers) to endeavour to do the work of four nurses and a maid, and it is extremely pitiful to seei these noblo wo-' men, whom I cannot praise as they, deserve, endeavouring to attend, the necessary duties. Of course patients , are not in the position to know who is at fault for this state of affairs, whether it is due to the war having caused so many nurses to go away, or is the fault of the board. # Another matter which is not publicly known is that chicken-pox las broken out amongst the children and .is spreading rapidly, and no doubt this is due to the infecting ones coming m contact with the others, or as some oi tho chicken-pox children are in a wara that leads off into the pantry, and this again leads into another ward of children who could easily contract any germs in the air, or perhaps as all the food utensils ore used by all the chil<k"en - . •, ~-x • As a recent patient I feel it is. my duty to bring these matters under your notice, as I consider tho parents of the inmates should know what they have at present to'contend with, especially as thev have absolutely no means from the" time the patients enter until they aro discharged to find out the actual conditions of them. The food is excellent and leaves no room for complaint. Now, sir, I might state that this letter was perused and approved of by several patients, so therefore I trust you will publish it in its entirety in the interest pf public health.—-I am, < EX-PATIENT.