HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1407, 19 August 1878, Page 3

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

A meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held on Saturday evening. Present —The Mayor of Christchurch (in the chair), the Mayor of Sydenham (Mr Booth), Dr. Turnbull, and Mr J. E. March (secretary). The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.

A letter from the Colonial Secretary was read, approving of the chairman being the person to bind apprentices under section 7 of the Masters and Apprentices Act, 18G5. A letter, re the closing of the Hospital gates every night at 10 o'clock, was read from the assistant dispenser, who complained that this prevented him from fulfilling his duties as an officer of a friendly society, and also prevented him from going to any place of amusement.

It was determined to refer the matter to Mr Pridgeon. A letter from the Colonial Secretary was read, offering no objection to Mr Smith's adopting two children. The Board then inspected a cesspool which existß close to the Hospital kitchen. The etench from this was absolutely sickening. It was the opinion of the Board that the pool should be abolished without delay, if possible. It was resolved that an application should be made to the Government to allow an officer of the Public Works Department to confer with the chairman as to the necessary repairs and additions required at the Hospital, for the purpose of submitting them to the Government for approval. It was resolved to make enquiries as to the custom obtaining here with regard to the terms upon which apprentices are bound. The report from the Orphanage re clothing was read. It stated that there was no clothing in stock, suitable for boys of less than about thirteen years of age. The Board resolved to make arrangements for inviting tenders for the clothing required. A number of accounts connected with the Orphanage were passed for payment. A letter from Mr Sopp, of the Orphanage, was read, suggesting that a meeting of the Board should be held there once a month.

It was resolved that a member of the Board should visit the Orphanago once a month at least, but the holding of meetings there was considered to be inexpedient. An application from a farmer at Flaxton was read, asking for a lad to be sent to him. It was resolved that the arrangements ihould be the same as those determined upon in a similar case last week.

Several applications for charitable aid wore considered and disposed of. Mr Pridgeon laid before the Board a return of all patients now in the hospital, shewing the length of time each had remained. There are twenty-one females, and Biity-four males. One male patient had been admitted in Feb., 1875. Fifty-seven males and all the females had been admitted this year. During the week ending 17th August nine had been admitted. The matter of closing the gates at night was then referred to Mr Pridgeon, who stated that the custom had been to allow the emEloyes to stay out till eleven o'clock on londays and Thursdays. The committee appointed to consider the cost and working of the dispensing department brought up the following report: — To the Chairman of the Hospital and Charitable

Aid Board

Sir,—Your committee, appointed to enquire into the cost and work of the dispensing department of the Hospital, beg to report as follows: 1. The annual cost of mediciuca and medical sundries is .£4OO a year. 2. The salary of tho dispenser is £l5O a year ■mth board and lodging. 3. Tho salary of the assistant dispenser is .£IOO, with board, &c. The assistant confines himself entirely to the dispensary. His hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The time of the dispenser seems to be taken up with going round the wards with the staff, receiving patients, and getting them placed in appropriate ward, and attending to tho enquiries of the public. We refer to a time when a house surgeon is present in the Hospital. The dispenser i.s now acting house surgeon, and of conrse has to attend to those matters, hut your committee think when a house surgeon assumes duty the di ipenser oajjht to confine himself to tho work of l)i-» own department. The committee find that one dispenser would be quite sufficient to dispense for the Hospital, and that the employment of an assistant is made necessary by the dispensing for tho following public departments being carried on at the Hospital, viz.: — Lunatic Asylum, Gaol and Police, Female Refuge, Selwyn Homo, Burnham Reformatory, Immigrution Barracks, Charitable Aid Department. The committoe recommend that the dispensing

for these institutions be removed from the Hospital, for the following reasons : 1. It entails npon the Hospitd fnnrl a considerable cost, without relieving each of the departments to any noticeable extent, and makes the cost of the Hospital appear larger than it really is. 2. By reason of the continual application for medicine, at all hours, from these departments, it makes the maintenance of discipline extremely difficult, and renders the work of the gatekeeper such as to relieve him of much of his resp sibility for wrong admissions within t o gate*. The committee is of opinion, the benefit to the outside institutions being so trivial, and the cost and inconvenience to the Hospital so great, that the institutions named should be at once advised to make arrangements for their own dispensing. This the committee are aware they can do, either by contracts with druggists in town, or by the surgeon of each dispensing within his own institution, and this at a smaller cost than is now entailed upon the Hospital. By removing this outside work, the Board will be enabled to dispense with the services of the assistant dispenser. The committee value this pecuniary relief to the funds at .£2OO a year—salary .£IOO, board, lodging and washing .£SO, medicine £SO. The additional benefits would also ensue that the dispenser would confine himself to his proper work; the house surgeon would go the rounds with the staff, atteud to the patients on arrival, and the applications from the public for information, &c. The responsibility of each officer would be better defined, and the absence of the continual flow of messengers at all hours for medicine from outside, would make the place more compact, a*ad better under the control of the Board.

In conclusion, the committee state their recommendations :

1. That the dispensing at the Hospital for outside institutions should ceaso. 2. That the assistant dispenser receive the ordinary notice that his services will not be required. It was resolved that the report be adopted and forwarded to the Government. Dr Turnbull called the Board's attention to tho desirability of a new deadhouse being built at the Hospital. The present one was much too small, and, besides, was placed in a most unsuitable spot, right in view of the patients. He mentioned that Government had included in the Provincial Liabilities two sums of £4OO for the erection of a mortuary in connection with a dissecting room, and of an operating room in connection with a lecture theatre. Ho also referred to the great inconvenience and excitement caused to pationts by so many public inquests being held at the Hospital. The Board resolved to memorialise the Government as to the buildings alluded to being at once raised. This concluded tho evening's business.