HOSPITAL BOARD

Southland Times, Issue 19545, 8 May 1925, Page 4

HOSPITAL BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Southland Hospital Board was held yesterday, there being present Messrs J. Matheson (Chairman), Miss Dryburgh and Messrs E. Bowmar, W. Clark, T. Fraser, J. S. A. McDougall, J. W. Miller, H. E. Nivep, C. Robertson and W. Norman. CORRESPONDENCE. The provisional President of the Hospital Boards’ Association wrote stating that 38 Boards had agreed to join the Association, while four had declined in the meantime. One of the principal questions was that of the amount of the subscription to the Association and the appointment of a permanent secretary. The appointment of a fulltime secretary would necessitate the levying of the full one-tenth per cent, of the Board’s annual maintenance expenditure, or in other words one-thousandth part of its expenditure, viz., 2s per £lOO. Whilst the majority of the Executive felt that the appointment of a full-time secretary would be preferable and that it was undesirable to hamper the Association at the commencement by a niggardly contribution, yet in deference to one or two Boards who had expressed a desire for a lower subscription than that proposed, the Executive was of opinion that, provided the right man could be obtained as a part-time secretary, it would be possible to carry on adequately and efficiently on a contribution of onefifteenth per cent (one-fifteenth hundredth of a Board’s expenditure or Is 4d for every £100). This was an actual compromise between the one-tenth proposed and the onethirtieth which was suggested by a few Boards, which would not, in the view of the Executive, have produced a sufficient income. The contribution from the Southland Board at the rate of one-fifteenth per cent, would be £2B (approx.).

It was decided that the Board’s resolution of January 8, limiting its annual payment to the proposed Association to £l5 be rescinded and that the Board join the Association provided that the Board’s contribution be not more than one-fifteenth per cent., and that the Board have the option of withdrawing at the end of any year on giving three months’ notice. A request from the hon. secretary of the Gore Sixpenny Clothing Committee for a grant was held over pending receipt of details of the Committee’s work. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE’S REPORT. The report of the Executive Committee was as follows: — 1. The Committee reports having received a report from the Matron, Southland Hospital, regarding the difficulty of supplying nurses for Gore Hospital, and suggesting the advisability of the latter institution training its own nurses. This matter was left in the hands of the Chairman to look into and report. 2. In connection with laboratory and X-ray fees owing by a number of medical men for services rendered to their private patients, the secretary was directed to bring forward to next meeting a detailed statement of the amounts owing for consideration and action by the Committee. 3. On the recommendation of the Matron, Southland Hospital, the Committee approved of a clause being inserted in probationers’ agreements requiring a month’s notice being given by all nurses in training before terminating their contracts with the Board.

4. Two fresh applications for assistance were received and left in the hands of the lady members and secretary to look into and with power to act. 5. The Chairman and secretary were authorised to make arrangements re maintenance with an inmate of one of the Board’s institutions who had become a beneficiary in a deceased estate. 6. One recipient of relief in receipt of 15s per week was, at her own request, struck off the list.

7. The secretary reported that the weekly expenditure on outdoor relief at present was £32 12s 6d as against £22 6s for the corresponding period last year. 8. The Otago and Wellington Hospital Boards advised the admission of several Southland patients to their institutions, and the secretary was directed to have further inquiries made as to the residence of these patients in the Southland district prior to the Board being asked to accept liability.

9. The Committee recommends that outstanding maintenance fees in the Eastern district be placed in the hands of a Gore firm of solicitors for collection on the usual terms. 10. The Committee reports having examined accounts and salaries totalling £2840 14s lid which are recommended to the Board for payment. SECRETARY’S REPORT. The Secretary reported as follows: — To overcome the difficulty of finding sleeping accommodation for the nurses at Southland Hospital, reported on at last meeting by Miss Keddie, arrangements have now’ been made to rent a house close to the Hospital for a term of three years, with the right of renewal if found necessary for a further two years. This arrangement will provide sleeping accommodation for about eight night nurses who will use the house only for sleeping purposes in the day time, and the Chairman has authorised the purchase of six extra beds and other necessary furniture, as well as renovating an empty room in the Administrative Block of the Hospital. The securing of this house and fixing up of the room referred to should relieve the position until the new Hospital and nurses’ home is built at Kew. NURSING STAFF.

The increased accommodation for patients at Gore Hospital has made it necessary to increase the nursing and domestic staff at that institution, and as Miss Keddie is experiencing great difficulty in supplying extra nurses from the Southland Hospital, she has made the suggestion to the House Committee that Gore Hospital should again be a Training School for nurses, and thus do away with the present arrangement of the Southland Hospital supplying junior nurses for that, institution. Miss Keddie’s proposal came before the House Committee at its last meeting, the latter authorising the Chairman to discuss the proposal with Dr Rogers, Medical Superintendent, Gore Hospital, with a view of ascertaining if the suggestion is workable. MOTOR AMBULANCE AND MATERNITY WARD, GORE HOSPITAL. The Town Clerk, Gore, has advised that the deputation from Gore that purposed placing its proposals in connection with the above before the Board at this meeting will not be able to attend to-day, and wish to wait on the Board at its June meeting. WATER SUPPLY, KEW HOSPITAL. Mr McDougall has put down three trial bores at Kew, the last one near the new Hospital site giving the best indications of water. It is suggested that a well be sunk on the site of the last bore so that water may be available for the builders when the work in connection with the building of the new Hospital is started. ALTERATIONS LORNE HOSPITAL. These are now almost completed and the nurses are into their new quarters and the male patients can be shifted from the first to the ground floor at an early date. This arrangement will increase the accommodation for male patients, and by having them on the ground floor will make their nursing attendance an easier matter. Telephone communication between the Lome Hospital wards and the nurses’ new quarters has been arranged. LEASE OF BOARD’S PROPERTY, BOWMONT AND CRINAN STREETS. The leases of the following properties of the Board were offered at auction for a term of fourteen years from May 1, 1923, by Messrs W. Todd and Co., Ltd., auctioneers, on April 27, and were purchased by the present tenants, as follows—Lot 1,

Sections 1,2, 3. 20, 21, 22, Block 49 Trustees Y.W.C.A. Hostel at £42 per annum. Lot 2, Sec. 17, Block 49—W. H. Fortune, £8 per annum. Lot 3, Sec. 18, Block 49—Executors W. R. Mabson, deceased, £8 per annum. Lot 4, Sec. 19, Block 49—W. R. Mabson, £8 per annum. Lot 5, Sec. 4, Block 49—Thomas Horan, £8 10/- per annum —a total increase in the annual rental of the ten sections of £l9 above that paid under the old leases. DRAPERY SUPPLIES. After conferring with the Matrons of our different institutions, I have prepared a schedule of the Board’s estimated drapery requireraents for the ensuing twelve months, and have asked the different wholesale houses to submit prices, etc., and will report further on this matter to next Board meeting. The reports were adopted, and the recommendations contained therein were given effect to. LORNE FARM MANAGER'S REPORT. The Farm Manager at Lome Farm Home reported, inter alia: —borne provision needs to be made to keep motor-cars from turning on lawns south of Sanatorium. As you know, there is ample provision in the form of gravelled roads, to turn on, also the road leading round the Sanatorium, which really makes turning unnecessary, yet during the past week two cars backed out and turned on the lawns just laid down. We spent days carting soil, levelling and making these lawns, and it is not very encouraging to find them damaged in this manner. 1 do not think notice boards would have much effect, because the damage I mention happened during the night.—Referred to Sister in Charge.