THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 959, 28 October 1910, Page 8

THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

AMENDED PLANS ADOPTED

A special' meeting of the Welliagton Hospital and ■ Charitable Aid Board was held' yesterday, to consider the amended plans.of the proposed children's hospital.. There were-present: The ChairniaE (Mr. J. G. , W. Aitken), and Messrs. Jas. Trevor, J. E. Fitzgerald, G. Nash, H. Baldwin, W. Galloway, D. Robertson, W. Tompsitt, G. Lundon, and the Revs. W. A. ; Evans and S -H. Van . Staveren. In order to allow members the fullest opportunity of expressing their views, the board, on tUe motion of Mr. E. C. Kirk, went into committee; the discussion, however, was open to the press. ' Dr. Hardwick Smith, Medical Superintendent' of the Wellington' Hospital, was aleo. present., . . -~- , : :'.".'• :

It was stated that the special committee appointed by the board , had- dealt most. exhaustively 'with the internal arrangements of the proposed- hospital, and the amended plans snbmitted for approval represented the concensus of expert-and lay opinion'thereon. -■'..'

■ The. design of the building was then reviewed and criticised, the ' principal speakers. being Mr; G. Lundon, Mr. B. Baldwin, and Mr. J. Trevor.

. Dr. Hardwick Smith, replying to some of the criticisms which had been levelled at the plans, stated that the scheme of internal arrangements had the approval of the whole of the medical staff,- and of Dr. U'alintine. -Referring to an objection, by Mr. Lundon.to.the proposed access to the building,' the speaker. said that the children's hospital, being part of the.general scheme, must necessarily be connected with the main, hospital, and so facilitate medical supervision. As to the small windows shown, these were not wanted. ■ .'.:■..■■■

, The-chairman explained that a consultation with the architects would'no-doubt remove, the ca.use of this particular objection." ' . ."-..."'

Continuing, the Medical Superintendent said that the.presence of parents in the' children s v pjaygroun"d was .not desirable. The practice had been condemned in leadlag hospitals elsewhere.. There would' be no objection to parents seeing their children, say, once a week, "on visiting days, put medical opinion was agreed that the less parents' saw of. their' children during their stay, in the hospital the better. Indiscriminate visiting was a fruitful cause of infection. , ' •■ ■ .

After further discussion the plans were adopted. .Messrs. G. L'undon and D. Eobertsou were added to' the committee previously included' the chairman ttfr. J .G. W. Aitken), and Messrs. B, C/.Kirk aud Jas. Trevor, ■with the medical staff of the hospital as consultative members of tho committee.