HOSPITAL VISITS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 11, 26 September 1944, Page 5

HOSPITAL VISITS

REPORT BY COMMITTEE MR H. C. McCREADY'S STAND When the question of appointing the new visiting committee for the month cam% up for consideration at the September meeiting of the Whakatane Hospital Board ? Mr H. C. McCready, when nominated, made a very firm stand in his refusal to go on any committee of that nature until the Board had given what in his opinion "k fair hearing to a previous complaint which had 1 been submitted in. writing. The question arose when Messrs. ißurt and Suckling reported on their two visits to tlie hospital during the past month. They had interviewed practically all the. patients they said and there were no complaintsreceived. All patients seemed to be particularly happy and satisfied. Messrs. Caulfield and McCready ■were nominated for the. new committee upon which the. latter said -that he would have to decline in view of the fact that he considered the. operations of such a committee a joke. Mr Caulfield: Give, us reasons. Mr McCready then instanced a written report which he said had been submitted to the Board three months ago and had been treated as a joke both by the Board and by the medical superintendent. If thfe Board would take the matter up again ? he, Mr would submit all the evidence, and not allow the. incident, to be whitewashed over' The Mr L. Buddie, said that he was not prepared to take any insulting remarks regarding any of the Board's previous; decisions and ihe could assure the general public that any complaints received had always had a fair and impartial hearing. Mr McCready then accused the Board of sidestepping the issue and of seeking to cover ;Up the situation. Mr Mullins contended that until the Board had any definite reason to take cognisance of a complaint it was not in a position to hold suspicion or to fasten the blame upon -any "officer employed at the hospital. Mr McCready then said he would reintroduce the case in question -and went to some lengths to detail what had happened to a patient who had been sent to Auckland by private car. The chairman referred' to the minute covering the incident in which the Board had given a courteous reply i and expressed regret if any inconvenience had been suffered. Mr Mullins: If Mr McCready is still dissatisfied with the operations of the hospital, he should be spvir-t red on to join the visiting commit-, tee —not to avoid the appointment. The chairman stated that, there had fceeii no further complaints from the family concerned who were ap* parently quite satisfied with the Board's answer. Mr McCready said that- he had -about as much faith in the Board's 'deliberations since the new members had been on it as he had had in the past and he therefore still refused to go on the committee.. Messrs Caulfield and Mullins were then appointed.