HOSPITAL BOARDS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 77, 26 December 1918, Page 6

HOSPITAL BOARDS

DUAL DUTIES INADVISABLE,

There lias been a tendency recently among some of the smaller hospital hoards (says the "Journal of Public Health") to endeavour to economise by combining the positions of secretary to the board and sanitary inspector; and i hough, in the case of some of the smaller boards, the Department has not actually objected to the arrangement, vet it is of opinion that, generally speakin},', such does- not produce the. economy desired, and, moreover, is detrimental to the efficient work in either capacity. The duties of a secretary of a small board are at the hospital, where lie should .-interview every patient on discharge. The amount of fees payable to even the smallest boards is considerable, and tho amount of bad debts that have to bo written olf would oftentimes considerably more than pay t.hc . secretary's salary. In many instances patients are not interviewed upon their discharge as regards their account; but if such were done the secretary's salary might be saved twice over. It is not the duty of the matron or the medical superintendent to interview patients regarding their accounts. tlieir <luties beins entirely confined to treatine and nursing the patients and ensuring-. their quick recovery. _ If the sanitary inspector, however, gives his first attention to his secretariat duties it may happen that his work as an inspector may be neglected, and there may bo complaints from local bodies that they are, not getting sufficient return for their contributions towards the salary of the sanitary insnector. Moreover, a man who lias received an efficient, training as a secretary might, not have received any training as a sanitary Inspector, and conversely it might be found that a limn who has been trained in '-mitary science as a sanitary inspector had received little training in secretarial duties or accountancy, .the training for these two nositions being along entirely different lines. The Department, however, has liad nothing to complain of in tliis respect, and if all tho hospital boards' annual statements o f accounts were prepared as promptly and correctly as the boards whose secretary hold s the dual potion the Department's annual report, tables could be. assembled at a much earlier date; but, apart from this, enough has been.said to show that it is difficult for an oflicer holding the combined position to eive thorough attention' to o'\c set of his duties without neglecting the ' other. Boards should therefore be very c-jroful before makin" such dual appointments in futur". :m<] meanwhile should adopt a. considerate attitude'to officers at present filling such difficult positions, especially as, generally, sneaking, such 'officers have performed their dual functions efficiently and well.