HOSPITAL BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13652, 22 July 1908, Page 2

HOSPITAL BOARD.

The moullilv railing of the bout-h Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board'was held yesterday, all the members being prr.so»h «cept Mr Oillwrham. OPENING STATEMENT. The chairman on opening the business said he had seen in the papers a paragraph saying that Hie Board would Bombs losing" one of its membeis, Mr Coltman, who -was about, to shift bo another part of the country. The Board would be very sorry to lose Mr Colt man; it had a 1 wars'" been" a pleasure to meet him, and he had proved himself a level-headed useful member, helping in the solution of every problem that came. before them. He wished' Mr Coloman success hi his new and larger sphere of business and public usefulness.

The chairman reported that the Bank balance was £291, and accounts lor payment amounted to £968 7s 3d, so that the payments would create a debit balance. Ther,e was £2OOO due to the Board on account! of subsidies, and those could have been applied for before now, but that one of the contributing bodies had nob yet paid its quota —no doubt through inadvertence. Mr Butler: Make them pay the interest on the overdraft.

The chairman reported for a committee on certain mutters referred to them. Th-a ambulance rules had been revised, and were now more satisfactory to all parlies. Either the resident surgeon or the secretary could give an, order for the use of the "ambulance. The committee lecommeuded that, the eye instruments recoti'iiiiended by the medical officers be procured; cost about £2l; and that, the present gardener leaving, a gardener be eugaged', he to make himself also generally useful.

The reports of the committee were approved and adopted. MAIKON'S ItEPOKT.

The matron reported the resignation .of Nurse Barron, and asked leave to till tie vacancy in the usual way. Nurses Ueauey and Seareall had successfully passed their preliminary examination. A statement and explanation was made in connection with a recommendation that the salary of two of the Sisters should be increased, the recommendation beiii'g that the salariaj of two nurses be increased' •to £65 a year, and those of the other two ba raised' to the same amount alter they hare served two years.

A discussion took place on the question of muses' salaries generally, in ihe course of which it was said that nurses were scarce and. their salaries rising.

Mr Coltman suggested that' the Board should make a scale that would last for some time, and the chairman said they could nob be sure that any scalo they might adopt) would serve lor long; ail they could do wao to make their scale, adequate for the time being, in comparison with the -salaries paid elsewhere. Mr Maslin thought that nurses who had received: a training and gained a certificate in a. hospital should be lequred to serve say a couple of years after gaining the certificate. Mr Talbot thought that impracticable. It would be introducing a principle that was not recognised hi other occupations. It was to be remembered that women could not begin their training as nurses until they were 22 or 23, and 'hey must possess qualities of character that would lit-them lor any walk of life. Mr Buxton said they musb possess high qualifications, and he had evidence that the nuiues in Timaru hospital did possess them. A Temuka man who had been a patient there, said he could not speak h ghly enough of the care and attention the nurses had given to him. He wiu an inconvenient patient, but day or night, they had attended to him kindly and promptly. Mr Maslin returned to the subject of probationers giving &ome length of service after obtaining their certificates, otherwise the hospital might find i'seif staffed with probationers only. The onairuian said tney could not avoid the risk, arid they were doing a useful work in training nurses for the benefit of the colliery. ..'/■' ,'lho recommendation of the commitk'C re salaries was agred to. •• This gives the senior nurses £6o each, and two omeis in the meantime £6O each. The matron and Dr Belt recommended that, another probationer be aaaed to tne staff, as two of the nurses were required ab Talbot Ho&prtal, and the requeue was granted. The secretary reported that 40 patientb were, admitted to the general Hospital, during June, making 90 treated, ana ol were discharged, leaving 39 in hospital. Of the admissions. 25 were male and 16 female. Of; those discharged 27 wrere cured, 17 relieved,. 3 were sent out as incurable, and 4 died.

The resident surgeon reported that there were six paiicuu* who 'had exceeded, two months' stay. 1 hey had-had a "full house" lately; there were 49.-.-patients in the Timuru Hospital last week and It in the Talbot Hospital, 60 in all, and this .had put a. strain -on . the uuisibg staff.

The LO.G.T, Lodge,. Temuka, forwarded .a, cheque for £7 lOs subscribed by the Lodge, lor the purpose or providing a cot in the Children'* Hospital.—The chairman stated that Mr Buxton- had also kandedin£7 ICs'to provide a "cot. Votes of Chunks were recorded to both 'doiiois. '''■■ "'' TALBOT HOSITTAL.

The caretaker of the Talbot Hospital reported that there are at present, ilpauenis in the hospital suffering from scarlet fever. Eour jjatieiiis had been tiischaiged, cured, 'during ' the past month, and oud had died. All necessary work had been attended to about the buildings and grounds. • Mr G. Butler reported that .the heavy rain had caused the; Talbot Hospital to beconie damp inside the ..walls.. I tie bricks must be ; very porous; and the nails fhould be either cemented or painted outside when dry. The septic tank Mas working better. The chairman said (hat the wall was a. hollow one, but, Mr'Turnbull fold him, the moisture paused along. the""iion lies. Mr Turnbull recommended painting as soon as the bricks were dry. Mr Jas. H. Turnbull, the Board's architect, wrote regarding the ineffective working of the septic tank at the Talbot Hospital. he attributed the unsatisfactoiy result to the quantity of water that was passed through the tanks, and especially the wastes from the baths, which a* times carry disinfectants. Ho recommended that all waiitas except tho-*i of the W.C.'s should be diverted so as to join the effluent from the septic tank, and bb distributed through field pipes. The chairman remarked that the tank looked entirely to.o . small to serve the purposes of a household of 30 people. The ruining aside of the- bath water would no dbubt be a great help to it. Mr Butler asked whether the disinfectants used would de>-ii'i>.v the bacilli, and the chairman said they musb 'wait and see.

The 'architect's reconnuendation was adopted, and he was instructed ;to have it carried out. WAIMATE ''HOSPITAL.

The chairman of tin Wannate Hospital Trustees wrote that the Health Department had directed alterations 'n the drainage arrangements thai had cost, more than the Trustees'', previous ettiuiats ; it had been found necessary also to 'provide a, new kitchen range and waicr heater; thttse, and .the cpst of the recent ep demic of fever would cause their estimates for the;year to be considerably* below actual requirements. The Trustees hoped that the ,Board would meet their request-for a supplementary requisition this year. •Tiis letter to be acknowledged. "-'• THE AMBULANCE. .

The question had been raised whether the driver of the ambulance ought not to

be insured under the Workmen s Compensation Act against. Ihe risk of hits cauclijng an infectious disease from patient*. "For he imisb help to lift them in. ami out; he cant get out of it," it was said. The Board agreed that they ought to insure the driver, and the secretary -was instructed to inquire the companies terms for such a case. CHARITABLE AID. . A list of applications for charitable a-d was submitted by the secretary and each case was discussed. Two old men who had come from Asliburlon and applied for aid were ordered to be sent back again. An old man who cannot get on comfortablv wiUi his family was given _ permission to go into the Home, he giving up his lodge sick-pay to the Board; when the sick-pay ceases the man's sons to be called upon "to support him. Another old man, without relatives or means, was also admitted.

It was agreed to ; assist a Temuka consumptive to go to the Cambridge sanatorium as soon as there is a vacancy available there. Temporary assistance was ordered in two or three cases.

A working man on the Levels, who lost an arm, and has a wife and seven children, the oldest eleven, was granted £2 a .iiionth. A man who came from Dunedin with wife and three children, will be helped to return, friends there being willing to ass ; st them.

A long letter was received from a recipient of aid near Tiiuaru, a woman with five children, requesting, in effect, that part of her allowance be paid in cash, as she could make better bargains for some things than the store contracts allowed. —Tlie Board decided that the- circumstances did; not seem to justify any departure from their rule. The Board now pays her rent and gives 25s a mouth in goods. An allowance of £2 a. month was made to a Waimiate man with five children, he being incapacitated, but two elder sons of 22 and 24 are to be required to assist. The applicant had btien injured whilst at work for a small contractor under the County Council, and it was agreed to submit'to the Board's solicitor the question whether the County Council was not liable under the Workers Compensation Act. Four caseu of a, nature had been given the shelter of the Home for periods extending up to oue week, and several other applicants who appeared more in need of aedical attention had been referred bo the hospital.

The action taken in all cases was ap proved, and the Board rose.