WESTLAND HOSPITAL BOARD

Hokitika Guardian, 18 October 1921, Page 1

WESTLAND HOSPITAL BOARD

MONDAY. OCT. 17h. The Hoard met at 8.1.5 p.m. Pfeseiit .Messrs .1. J. Breeze, tChairman) Davidson, Burrell, Morel, ltitehie and Monk. The minutes were eonfirined and outward correspondence approved. INWARD COH R ESPON DKNCE. |i'ron) De))artment of Health, Wellington .approving of overdraft up to £1,501). Received.

From same, acknowledging letter ask ing approval of erection -of new wing at Westland Hospital, and conveying the. approval of the Minister; that extra copies of the plans were being, prepared for use of Board. Received.

From Dr Valentine, congratulating Hoard on success attained with milk supply at Kitmara Hospital. Received. From Hon D .11. Cuihrie, Wellington in connection with request for a crossing over the railway line near the hospital, and declining same.- Received. From Railway Department. Grevimmth in connection will lease of reserve near Three Mile.- Received. From Government Statistician, asking for returns. Received. From Dr Valintine. Wellington notifying procedure required for rendering accounts for military patients to maintenance. Received. From Resident Engineer. Grey-mouth notifying request tor repairs and additional requirements at Otira Hospital, nf I, total cost of £172 11s od.—Roreiv-

From Miss A. Ibny, resigning position as proha tinner at AAestlnucl Hos--lil.nl. owing to ill-health.—Received ind accept**! with regret. From A. Wright, Dunedin, in reference to the effects of a deceased latienf. Received; attended to. From Otago Daily Times Coy. notifying future price ol subscription to he Otago AY it nes j. - Received. From Ross Borough Council forward-

ing two months levy of £l-5. Received. Froni Ross Medical Committee enquiring as to possibility of securing another doctor for Ross district. Re. ,-ejvrd. It wm. resolved that an 011- (!, ;nnur he mn-'e tu secure the sendees nf |)r Baird to visit Ross oil stated occasions. and that the Ross Committee hi asked to send two delegates to roofer'with tho Board and Dr Baird with ,i vi to coming to some agreement to meet the ivq 11 iieineiils of the Ross dist riel. From Balmerston North Hospital Hoard notifying admission of a patient from Westland. Received. From Whiiugarei Hospital Hoard, notifying admission of a patient from Westland. Received. From Canterbury Board, enquiring is to applicant for position.- Received; -ivivtary's reply approved. From Matron Gibson. Otira, asking for furniture 11'ipiii ements. Received. From Master Old Peoples Home, Kumar. 1. forwarding receipts and accounts. Received. From Alai ron Gibson. Otira, notifying difficulty in obtaining a maid ami some minor requirements. Received. From Sister Gunn, South Westland, reporting 8 patients visited during nth: staling tile saddle asked for would he sent forward next week. - Deceived.

The balance sheet fur the year ended ;Us(, March 1921. was read, received and adopted. From AY. Duncan and Co in connection with purchase of .1. Solder’s property near hospital, which had been accepted at £UiO; also giving particulars of other properties enquired for. - Received. The Chairman’s action in accepting the nllor for Solder’s area, was approved. Mr Hit, hie asked if the voluntary subscriptions from South Westland had been received. The secretary reported ill the negative, stating application had been made to Mr Schilling (Secretary to the AYaiho Committee) hut no reply had yet been received.

The House Committee of Westland Hospital reported on a .number of small matters requiring attention.- Re reived and adopted. Mr Ritchie was added to the Reserves Committee. The Finance Commit lee reeoiumcmled payment of accounts amounting to ClOI(T Ids Id. Received and pissed for payment. The Treasurer reported receipts £luftß fis ]d, payments £l7no 7s Od. dr. balance Cfi7S (Is. . Received. PR OR< >S F.D T A r?R O VF-MF.NTS. AX IMPORTANT RKPORT.

Mr C. S. Allen. Technical Inspector of the Department of Health, waited on tl,e Hoard liy request in refer,-nee lu proposed improvements and requirements at Westland Hospital to discuss the following report, to the Director. Division of I lospit ills : In accordance with your instructions I listed the above institution and have to report as follows:- • LAUNDRY The laundry is now in full swing, and washing is being done for the Menial Hospital in addition to that of the Westland Hospital. The machinery seems to he quite up to what is required of it and is working satisfactory. There were certain directions in which a saving of steam could he (fleeted and these 1 pointed out to Mr Davidson u lio aeeompauied me on my inspection. Some of the suggestions made by me were: j (I) The trapping of the drains from the Callender and the saving of the | condensed steam to he used in the wnsli- | ers or for tlie boiler feed. (2) The rutting down of the steam sunplv to washers immediately the water reached boiling point in the machines. CD The lagging of all steam pipes tn the engine and the various machines.

Tho drying closets were not giving the best results, but this was caused I through it leak in tho coils, which was allowing tho saturated steam to enter tho closets and condense on the clothes placed therein; this of course will he remedied. HEATING AND HOT WATER SUPPLY. These systems, as you know, have never been satisfactory, the failure being partially due to the combining of the two systems, and partly owing to the pipes being in a very had state of corrosion. I went into tho question very thoroughly with Mr Davidson, and as a result, came to tho conclusion that it will be necessary to reconstruct tho whole of the services, including a separate steam service to tho operating theatre. I gathered the ‘necessary data, to enable mo if you approve, to draw up a scheme for the consulting engineer (Mr Anderson) to give an ! opinion and advise as to its suitability ! and likely efficiency.

1 suggest that this be drawn up as a separate contract and the work he proceeded with immediately the necessary connections being left for extension to new wing. PROPOSED NEW AVINO AND ADMINISTRATION BLOCK. It was arranged that I should meet the town members of the Board and discuss tho plan of the wing wing and administration block. Before doing so ] went into the matter with Dr Baird the matron, and Mr Davidson, and var. ions suggestions were brought forward entailing some alterations and additions to the plan as it at present stands. These suggestions included:

(1) Division of two extra looms to provide all office and sewing room. (2) Providing a cook's room in the vicinity of Hie kitchen and within the building. (fi) Two additional one bed wards. (It Rearrangement of sanitary annexe in relation to ward. (.5) More verandah space. ((U Extra accommodation for nursing stalf. (7) Extra lavatory accommodation for nursing and domestic staff. (S) Reconst met ion of heating, sterilising. and hot-water systems in which is included:— (a) Installing a new sieain boiler in addition lit present, one. (ID Heating the “Ellis" ward hv means of hot water radiators. Note. By doing so accommodation will he available for two other hells in this ward.

(e) Heating amt sterilising services in steam to operating theatre. (ill Steam service to ward sterilizing and duty moms. (el Heating by steam the hot water for the whole of the institution ox(■opting kitchen service and nurses’ baths. (f) Steam cooking fc>r kitchen. The whole of these suggestions f made clear to the live members of the Hoard (including the Chairman) present at the meeting, and they were quite in accord that, they wore necessary additions and would greatly facilitate the work of the institution. The meeting passed a. resbhitirm that those members present agreed to the suggestions and the Chairman a.skodt that a draft plan embodying same should lie supplied hv tli<' Department, to ho placed for confirmation before a full meeting of the Board, which takes place on tho 17t-h inst. This plan I have prepared and shall forward to the .Hoard should it meet with your approval. DRAINAGE. As you know, a. new drainage ..elicmc had been drawn up for the hospital, hut owing to the difficulty of obtaining tile services of a surveyor it had not, up to the time of my visit, been started. As T had promised Dr Telford to look into the scheme and at the request of Mr Davidson (who is chairman of the House Committee) I obtained instruments and made a survey of the ground. 1 regret to say that, the levels revealed the fact, that tins drain with a. fall of only one in fifty would he at a depth of 10 feet where it entered the ■tank. As it would he necessary to excavate to a depth at least fi feet below (his point for tho tank, it- will he il.nl tlie amount of !I- round To he

! taken out and the quantity of timbering to be done will make the cod ot 1 tho scheme excessive, and would far ex_ need tin* estimate of C 150 for it. As T had no instructions to go into the matter. the instruments T used were borrowed. and Hie question of a water supply being also under consideration. I did not go fully into any other scheme, considering it neeessnrv to Pint consult you on the matter, hut T am „f the opinion that the placing of tho tank at, a point near the morgue would give a better rail to the drains ard therefore :i cheaper scheme. As the Hoard is at present sinking a well on the lint at no great distance to where the sewage has been discharging for years, and that il Hie tank is placed where I suggest, the sonknge from (hi* effluent pits may find its way in that direction, 1 am of opinion that tho whole mutter should he thoroughly investigated before anything definite is <)onf\ r suggest that I take the Department’s instruments ami make a survey of tlie ground, taking into consideration all tlux probabilities of extending to tlie fore-shore, entering tin* abhntoir drain (if any) or combining with tlie Mental Hospital if practicable. W ATER SPm.Y. The position in regard to this as explained lo me by Air Davidson is: (r|) That the instilulion is using, since the inception of the laundry, near !v 10,000 gallons of water per day. l‘D That the Hoard had been notified Hint il is intended to meter their water supply. (0) That the charge will not, he less than 2s per thousand gallons. , (,)) ~\s the flow into the. reservoir is only of sufficient, quantity to ltalnnee the present draw off there is a pro-

Inability of tbe hospital being cut off altogether from the town supply. (5) As the Board has contracted to take 20 kilowatts of electric current it is thought- by installing an electric; driven pump that an economy can bo effected over buying! the water at- 2» per thousand gallons, it not being anticipated that the maximum demand would lie exceeded, pumping being carried out when c urrent is not otherwise being used. Although not generally in favour of well-water where a town supply is available, and especially of a. well sunk in such a position as the present ease, I think the proposal of obtaining a water supply at the cost of oil and attention to the pump and motor, one worth invest igat ing.

The Board considered the report- and discussed its many phases at considerable length with Mr Allen and eventually it was resolved to go on with tile drainage scheme at iiltii'. and also to approve of the heating proposals and alterations suggested to tho new wing plans. The Board rose at 11.5 p.m.