OPEN TO ALL DOCTORS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume III, Issue 209, 23 November 1934, Page 5

OPEN TO ALL DOCTORS

Stratford Hospital under New Policy LETTER TO MINISTER FULL TIME OFFICER REQUIRED The points made by the Strat ford Hospital Board in support of its decision to appoint a full time medical superintendent, for which position applications closed last night, are contained in a' commun ication forwarded to the Department of Health. The communion tion was tabled at today's meet ing of the board.

The position had been advertised, it was stated, at .a salary of £SOO per annum, cither with a free rcr-i dence or a house allowance of £75 per annum ,and the salary was sub ject to annual increments of £25 to a maximum o£ £GOO on the fifth year of service.

For the past 22 years Dr Steven of ' Stratford had been medical superin I tendent of the board's hospital, on a I parttimc basis only, slated the com j. munication. Dr Steven throughout ] the whole of that time conducted a private practice- For his part time service Dr Steven wan paid a maxi mum salary of £650 which on the ! introduction of the salary reductions was reduced to £585 per annum, j During all the years that Dr Steven had been medical superintendent no , . other medical practitioner in the dis j trict had had any right of entry to the hospital in any capacity except j as anaesthetist or as a consultant ; on a few occasions and thi* had r-3 j suited 1 in. the part time medical super ; intendeht having a monopoly of the , hospital facilities of the town in addi j tion to his private practice. It was felt by a majority of the board that | this system, which had obtained for i 22 years, had now outlived its u'se I fulness-, and that in the public inter j ests a change of policy was warrant j ed - A , x, j Several difficulties confronted the.] board once it had decided on the j change of policy, particularly in view , of the advice of the superintendent, I over a period of 'many years, against j the practicability and efficiency of | Admitting the other medical men of \ the town into the hospital in an bono 1 rary-^pneity. '..'. .. '.;•;, -■■; : ',_- ; i'>The :salary, which had been;- paid i- bv/ the board for 'part time -'services j considered 1 ' -ample--to-'.'attract-a-^ i; of- sufficient aualifica j '-Mam 'On -.a--full -time - basi* »■• •'-'•• : - •'■'- •] [ aAd' the, general,; hospital ,; been "closed: to-/firLvate: .•inrdicalvpi'pc . ; | .titi<?h'ers : vbut 'the- -maternity; abnoxe --/ifft-'tiie"!hosnitalhas also been confined i'e'xclUsiveiy- to the* part timei syperm !'tehdept. r 'This? was 'at' variance; to; a | | jecommendation; of .the , Department : 1 ■imad'e-in'i.92'4. ' " ' : : '.;;.■'. '- -'''„'. ,-•'. ! • Th'o /Communijcation ' concluded by '; : 'sum'niarising trie facts in support.. of ;j the: Board's proposal as ; follow: ; .:il-:That'<the proposal will give the, j hospital the full time services of a j iriiedical superintendent iitno' increas I ed cost to the;.board. y ' 2. : ' iTha.t. the proposal is the wiily solution to the board's policy in view of the local conditions under which the board must function. 3. Thut the opening of the hospital to other practitioners as regards both the general hospital, and the matern ity annexe, is in accbrdwee'with 1" cal public feeling on the matter, and i in the opinion of the board should i result in making available to the pub lie the highest degree of medical I opinion and skill in the district. ! Purely Domestic Matter A telegram to the board from the Hon. R. Masters, who interviewedthe Minister of Health, stated the j Minister regarded the matter as a ! purely domestic one.-This was the ! context, too, of a letter from the Hon. j J. A.- Young, who .said:

"The question of the system of medical staffing to be adopted is one that is to be determined by the board itself and one that, without a close knowledge of local circumstances, I would be loath to express an opinion on." A board, ho said, should not as a mater of course permit all practition ers to be members of the viciting staff but should be satisfied before appointing an practitioner to the lion orary staff that he is suitable for such appointment. Provided that the board was satisfied on Hhis point there was no objection to the system.