14

H.—22

Bethany Home, Napier. ■ The Bethany Home' is still carried on under the same management. The new house is cdiilfortably furnished, and affords some opportunity of teaching the girls household work. Salvation Army Maternity Homes. Wellington. Visited in February, 1910. Adjutant Scholes is now in charge of the Home, and a pupil has been attending lectures at St. Helens Hospital. The teaching, however, with no Matron who has had hospital training, is not satisfactory. . The place itself is well managed and clean, and the babies well cared for. These are kept after their mothers leave until homes are found for them. Auckland. Visited on 3rd November, 1909. There were 15 girls and 10 babies in. The new Home which it was proposed to build is yet in the future. The present one is not at all suitable for the work, and the rooms are much too crowded. The place is kept as clean and airy as possible under the circumstances, and the need is too great for it to be closed. No pupils are trained here. Christchurch. Visited in March, 1910. There were 13 girls in—three waiting confinement —and 14 babies. The Home was, as usual, in very good order. The girls were mostly engaged in needlework. The babies looked healthy. One pupil midwife is training in this Home. Dunedin. Visited in March, 1910. There were 11 girls and 9 babies in. Four mothers were nursing their infants; the others were away at work, and paying for the maintenance of the infants. The place was very clean and well kept. The Private Hospitals Act, 1908. During the year since the Ist April, 1909, the inspection of private hospitals has been carried out, and the regulations have been more stringently enforced now that people have become acquainted with the fact that they are under Government control. In the past, proprietors of private hospitals erred often through ignorance, and commenced taking in patients without applying for a license, pleading as excuse that they did not know it was necessary; or they would move from one house to another, or build additions, without references to the Department. When it is taken into consideration that of the 202 licensed private hospitals in the Dominion a large proportion viz., 117 —are small maternity homes, owned by some of the old-time untrained midwives, who do not read or understand regulations, this is not to be wondered at. In these homos only about three or four patients are taken at one time, and the probable average would be one. There are seventy hospitals for medical and surgical patients, and these are owned by trained and registered' nurses, and some few by doctors in country places are allowed to receive maternity eases also. On the whole these places are well equipped for their work and well conducted. Fifteen are conducted by trained and certificated rnidwives, and are larger and much better equipped than those owned by the old untrained midwives. Two of these hospitals have lately been established in Christchureh by St. Helens pupils—Miss Cowper and Mrs. Bethuue —and should fill a need there. A very good private hospital was opened during the year at Gisborne by two trained maternity nurses from Sydney —Misses Wade and Wilbow. They also have medical and surgical patients under the charge of a certificated nurse from Sydney. Gisborne is very well equipped with private hospitals, and now has a maternity hospital conducted on the same lines as St. Helens as well. In New Plymouth large additions have been made to two private hospitals. Miss Baker has built a new house for general cases, and Miss Pike has added a number of rooms for midwifery cases. A third has also been started with a certificated nurse as manager. Several private hospitals have been transferred during the year, and some given up. The Flagstaff Sanatorium has been closed, and the Rock and Pillar taken over by the Dunedin Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. The number of private hospitals licensed — For medical and surgical patients ... ... ■•■ 70 Beds available ... ■ ■ • • ■ • • ■ ■ ■ ■ "o*> For maternity cases only ... ....■ . ••■ ••■ •■• 132 Beds available ... •■• ••■ ••• •■■ ■■■ "1" Hospitals licensed for medical, surgical, and midwifery cases ... 84 I must acknowledge with thanks the great assistance of Miss Bichnell and Miss Bagley in the inspection of private hospitals, and the visiting and instruction of the untrained midwives. H. Maclean, Assistant Inspector. The Inspector-General of Hospitals.