HOKITIKA MENTAL HOSPITAL

Hokitika Guardian, 13 September 1927, Page 4

HOKITIKA MENTAL HOSPITAL

ANN Ij AL^iIEPORT. Dr Buchanan, .reports, for year 1926 f- '" : ’ '‘ U ’ ’At the beginning of the year there were 221 patients on -the register; at tlie end'of the yearttbete remained 159 males and 67' females, making up a total of 226. Admissions numbered 97 ordinary patients. Discharges were 9, and deaths. 13. Tlie .general health of the patients has .bleu good. Tiio programme of reconstruction commenced live years ago at this Hospital is. now .showing definite results.- In place of, tlie old ..and rambling buildings, huddled lip against each other, there is now to, be seen a specimen o£ the villa isy-stem o housing . mental patients. ,The wards are self-contained, and, on..the \vhple, set. well apart. from each other. No villa houses more than forty patients, the average number being about thirty. .The breaking-down of all yard-cn-I closures and ,the consequent .opening I up of pleasing vistas undoubtedly engages the attention of even some ot 1 Hie most enfeebled minds, and,.diverts

■ many of the patients, from brooding over their, fancied wrongs. This.'is rgfleeted in ,the fact that I assaults among patients are fewer than l ; formerly, and that there is a lessened * I necessity for us to resort to s I of restraint. , "I It is interesting, to note .that .the ? ! majority of our. patients were transe, ferred here front the Pprirua and ". Christchurch Mental hospitals about 0 , ten years ago, and it i-s quite certain P , that the patients, transferred were, hj R no means of the, best-b,ehaved type. d .- Though much work has been acliiet-

! r ' ed in the modernising of this institu 11 , tion. there is yet much to be neeom[t plifdied beforo anything like coniplet,f, ion is reached. Qur wants are still. . The most press-

ing requirements are:— 1. Erection of a- now ward on the site of “Moann.” JBecause of its relative isolation, this is the situation par excellence,.for a ward to house the most refractory of the.female, patients. At present .PMoana” houses thirteen patjents and .four mirse-s.' The opinion of the Public (Works .Department is that the ward w,ill not economically stand alteration because of its .age. I suggest that a new, building on this site should, be capable of'. housing Thirty patients anil contain ten single rooms. This would allow us ‘to destroy a block of ten single rooms (a dingy and unsightly relic of the past) which abuts directly on to the new female- ■ reception" unit.' We have of necessity to use these rrcnis for the most noisy and violent patients, anil their propinquity to newly admitted patients is most unsatisfactory. 2. A system of fire-alarms. At present the only means of alarm is to ; ring a bell situated at the most cen- ! tral part of the institution. The wards, \yhich are all wooden, arc now discrete and spread out- over an extensive area, and there might . c-onso-I quently be an undue delay before firc- ' fighters’ could bo summoned to one jof the. mere distant wards. I would suggest that an '.intercommunicating I telephone system.ho installed. This would meet the ease, and also,be useful in the event of other emergencies which of necessity must arise .from time to time .in the different wards. "3.. bo creased accommodation 1 r nurses. Nurses perforce arc using rooms that should he available .for patients. There,is, in general, an allround lack of suitiii.)!o~nci:pminodntion fc-r nurses.

4. A water-supply independent ot the borough water-supply. Not only is the latter supply expensive, ( but, it is the expressed opinion of some of the members of the Borough Council that it is in a precarious state owing to the bail condition of the mains. .The Borough Council charges us is 3d per 1000 gallons. About two years ago.l had a well sunk' In our own which gave us good potable water in sufficient quantity lor our needs, Tlie Westland Hospital, which Ties adjacent to us, procures its water from a well on their property similar to that which we have already sunk on our own ground. They pump inure water, than is necessary for ’thirdr requirements; The Hospital Board have suggested that they should sell us their' ’surplus water at 5d per 1000 gallons. They guarantee a daily supply of 5000 gallons. If we accepted this offer we would have to build nil elevated reservoir. Would it not be better in that case to pump our own water into it ?

5. A recreation .hall. The lack of a hall suitable for church services, cinematograph entertainments, wireless and other concerts, and dances is much felt, and results in an inadequate amount of entertainment for the patients.

6. Tho construction of farm buildings on a new site. The Public .Works Building Overseer .when asked to value tho present buildings expressed the opinion that the stable buildings, .barn, dairy, and pigsties, were valueless because of their great ago and stale of disrepair. -I’Fie present .buildings are an eyesore, and are situated too close to “To jUuire.” Below I give a summary of new work accomplished during the year. (Erection of SJefton Ward, which houses twenty-seven patients (the greater part of this building was constructed from suitable portions of the old F Ward moved to the new site); liuilcUiig of a new large bathroom, a scullery, and the installation of a hot-water snp-i ply at “Aorangibuilding of a .hath- 1 rociii, lavatory, and installation of hot-water at vEgmontbuilding of a garage at .Medical Superintendent’s residence; demolition of the old gaol; demolition of old A Ward; erection of it large teal and store shed from suitable portions of old A Ward; reclamation of over S' 'acres' swamp ground; addition of about } acre to the ‘kitchen garden; ' increase to the recreation ground, and feiicing the whole area Tor tho’ purpose of grazing sheep; laying out new fowl-runs; road making and laying out ot grounds in front of tho institution formerly occupied'by old Wards; making of new airing-court at “Aorangi.” The annual picnic, an event always looked forward to by the patients, took place at JCokatahi. The outing, proved a great success and was hand-: somcly contributed to by many of tho townsfolk. I would especially like to record ipy, appreciation’of tho many concerts gheh to us by the Hokitika 11alid. They are always .a great source of pleasure. , ' I have had good, helpful,' and loyal service from all mv staff.