Hospital Service

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 52, 24 November 1937, Page 4

Hospital Service

ALMONER'S WORK " IN ENGLAND Helping Patients to Carry Out Treatment VALUABLE LINK Realisation that there were many patients who never caTried out, for a number of reasons hut mainly on the score of the expense involved^ the treatment pr'escribed by their medical advisers, was one of the pronxpting motives that ied to the instituting of a branch of hospital service in the Old Country lmown as "Almoner." Though this service has been established many years in the Old Country, it is new to this Dominion, though some of the Eunctions of the almoner are practised here. Some conception of the work involved was given a reporter by Miss R. Middleton, Children 's Almoner at St. Thomas' Hospital, London, who is on a holiday visit to New Zealand, and who arrived in Hastings last evening en route to Rotorua. "There are so many different angles to our work that it is really difficult to define the duties," said Miss Middleton. "Briefly it may be said that we provide a link of cooperation between the doctors, nurses nnd administrativo staff on the one hand and the patient on the other. Our main duty is to emsure that the patient aetually undergoes.,- or receives^ the treatment that1 has been prescribed. "It will be readily appreeiated that many patients, after attending the doctor, find that they are unable to carry out the treatment ordered," she | added. "There are many reasons for j this. Lack of finance is one of the main reasons, but in the case of a woman with teeveral children, there is the question of looking after the home during the nbsence of the mother; or in the case of a father, he might not be in a position to leave work to enter hospital, or undergo treatment. "Our task, in cases of this type, is to smooth out those difficulties> and ensure that the pati.ent is given the opportunity, and the attention, that the medical adviser con'siders necessary. Expense is a secondary matter. The patient pays as much as he or she' can, and we arrange the.payments to meet the circumstances of each patient, hnd see that he or she is able to obtain treatment. It makes no differenee whether the treatment is medical, surgical or some other form. If it is found that the particular treatment cannot be . given to the patient, then we consult with the medical adviser with a view to securing some other treatment that will be as efficacious, but more practicable in the light of the special circumstances. In Touch with Patients. "Another very important si.de of the work is that the almoner keeps in touch with the patients, not only when in hospital or in the convaleseent home, but after leaving and returning to their homes. Such matters as diet, care and attention. etc., are looked into, and a careful record of the progress of the patient is kept." Shortly before leaving on her holiday Miss Middleton carried out a "followup" of patients that had passed through the wards for operative treatmej|t over a period of five years, and in this manner not only was valuable medical information and data obtained, but the welfare and progress of the patients was noted. The almonens, of necessity, kept in close touch with welfare organisations throughout the country, and in no way interfered with the activities of such, only to the extent of supplementing the services so given in accordance with the necessity of carrying out the prescribed treatment. Patients that required sea-air were accommodated at convaleseent homes along the coa'stline. Those that had to have fresh-air in the country were provided with the faeilities for obtaining such on the doctors ' recommendation. In cases of this type one of the welfare organisations, the St. John Ambulanee Brigade may be called- on to co-operate in providing the necessary transportation. This was just one instanee of the co-operation that existed between the almoner and the' welfare service generally. Incidentally, . Miss Middleton was full of praise for the wonderful work that the St. John Ambulanee carried out and considered its service a most valuable one indeed to the community. Oaro of Children. Afc Miss Middleton is particularly concerned in the care of the children, it is but natural that she should be keenly interested in what is being done in New Zealand on their behalf. "It is pleasing to note that attention is now being paid to the child after it leaves the Plunket nurse. or mothercraft, stage as we call it at Home," she said. "There is a hiatus between the babe and the young man and woman that should be bridged, and I have seen sometliing of your efforts in this direction in the form of health camps." Miss Middleton mentioned that in the particular service she was in, the idea was to specialise more in the particular needs of the individual patients. Sufferers of a particular complaint would be sent to homes that were best suited for the euring of that complaint. The Crippled Children 's Society in New Zealand was carrying out this type of work for one section of the community.