HOSPITAL BOARD

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLI, Issue 20446, 17 June 1936, Page 11

HOSPITAL BOARD

NURSES SLEEPING IN TENTS ACCOMMODATION NEEDED t The monthly meeting of the South r Canterbury Hospital Board was held '■ yesterday Present —Mr E. Macdonald ■ I (chairman), Mrs B. Hewson, Messrs G. Dash, J. C. Hay, J. Dempsey. R. W. - Simpson, H. J. Clark, C. Ley and G. " Saunders. ‘ Old People’s Home ' ; The master, of the Old People's Home (Mr E. Laverty) reported that ad- . missions during the month totalled 20, and discharges 11, leaving 41 in the institution at the beginning of the present month. The general health of the inmates had been fair. A gramo--1 phone recital was given by Mr Rogers 1 which was much appreciated by the ■ inmates. Thanks were due to the ' following for gifts in kind:—Miss - Pigeon, weeklies; Mr A. Heron, weeklies; Salvation Army, “War Cry”; ‘ “Tima.ru Post,” “Timaru Herald,” and 3 Butcher Bros. (Fairview), three cases ' of pears. ' The report was adopted. House Committee I The House Committee reported as 1 follows: I Refresher course: The DirectorGeneral of Health advised that a refresher course of one week in September would be available for tutor sisters. Nursing staff, Timaru Hospital: The ; Director-General had advised that to 1 enable one day off per week to be ; given to nurses it was necessary to 1 employ one nurse to two occupied r beds, and that the annual returns ; showed that the Board employed only ; 42.67 nursing staff per 100 occupied i beds. In view of the medical super- ' intendent’s explanation of the existing > staffing arrangements, and that the s Board employed temporary trained nurses as required which were not in- ■ eluded in the figures quoted by the - Department, the committee had no 1 recommendation to make. Isolation block roof: The architects 1 reported that if the proposed re- ; roofing of the isolation block was gone on with there would be a danger of ' plaster falling from the ceiling. Re--1 commendation: That in view of other structural alterations required, that no ’ action be taken regarding re-rooflng until the new surgical block was completed and patients could be trans- ' ferred there from the isolation block, thus allowing necessary repairs and J renovations to be carried out, but that ' the ceiling of Ward 6 should be made , secure immediately with laths and , plaster board. I The report was adopted. ; Social Service The Social Committee reported as I follows, the figures in brackets being I for the corresponding period last year: 1 Seven (9) new applications for assist- ; ance were received and granted at a total cost of £6/7/5 (£26/15/8). Further temporary relief was granted in 29 (43) cases at a cost of £46/5/6 (£94/16/9). Assistance granted by the Waimate Hospital Committee for the month of ’ May, 1936, amounted to £57/9/8 (£46 ■ 7/10). Mr Simpson said that the report would seem to indicate that they had J definitely turned the corner. ‘ The report was adopted. I Finance Committee ■ The Finance Committee reported as . follows: Subsidy on Hospital buildings; The > secretary, Department of Labour, employment division, wrote thanking the I Board for agreeing to use, as far as > possible, New Zealand materials in the new hospital buildings and inquired, ' in regard to the Board’s application : for an extension of the period for • subsidy purposes, when it was proposed to proceed with the hospital buildings. - The Secretary replied that so far as the Board and the architects were con- ! cerned, every possible effort had been ! made to hasten the work. Hospital Board debentures: A reply was received from the Hon. W. Nash, ! I Minister of Finance, advising that he ' I was unable to accede to the request to I widen the scope of trustee securities. Recommendation: That a copy of the Minister’s letter be forwarded to the ’ Hospital Boards’ Association and that a remit be forwarded for consideration at the next Hospital Boards conference, “That the Government be urged to have Hospital Board debentures made trustee securities” Estimates, 1936-37: The DirectorGeneral of Health recommended that the estimated fees be increased by £750 and that the Board might desire to increase its estimated requirements for hospital maintenance and charitable aid expenditure. As the suggested alterations to the estimates would not affect the net position, the committee recommended that the estimates ■ be amended in accordance with the , desire of the Department. I Advance against subsidy: The Direc-tor-General of Health advised that the Minister was being recommended to approve of an advance against subsidy being made. Loan sanction £70,000 net: Recom- ' mendation: “That the secretary be authorised to advertise the Board’s intention to apply to the Local Government Loans Board for sanction to - borrow £22,875 additional to the sanction already applied for. Note: This will increase the Board’s total loan sanction to £70,000 net, being the amount which it is estimated will be required to complete the Board’s building programme.” I Referring to Hospital Board debentures, Mr Dash said that there was no reason which could stand inquiry why Hospital Board debentures should not be treated as trustee security. As a result of their non-acceptance as such, the Board was forced to seek other markets at an additional cost of from a quarter to a half per cent., which he regarded as a most unfair thing. Mr Dash also made reference to the provision of additional staff accommodation at Talbot Hospital, stating that they had nurses there sleeping in tents. This was a position of which they should be ashamed, but the Board had known nothing about it until their attention had been drawn to it. Ihe additional accommodation would cost £2OO, for which provision had not been made on the estimates, and he desired to point out that if urgent, matters were brought before them and sanctioned, the Board was likely to : come out on the wrong side of the budget.