THE HOSPITAL TROUBLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1917, Page 7

THE HOSPITAL TROUBLE.

i MEDICAL OFFICERS RESOLUTE MEMBERS OF BOARD RESIGN. The disagreement between tho members of the medical staff of the Jfew Plymouth Hospital and the members of the (Board, arising out of an inquiry being authorised by the Board into the circumstances connected with the resignation of a nurse, reached a final stage yesterday afternoon, the result being the individual resignations of all the members of the Board with the exception of Messrs E. Gilmour, M. J. McReynolds, and J. Brown. Of these three gentlemen Mr. Gilmour was not present at yesterday's meeting when the matter was dealt with, Mr. Brown had intimated at the previous meeting that he intended retiring, and Mr. Mcßeynolds stated that yesterday's meeting would Do his last.

The members present wTien the matter was discussed were:—Mr. J. R. Hill (act-ing-chairman) Mrs. Dockrill, Messrs E. Maxwell, M. J. Mcßeynolds, G. V. Tate, and D. H. Mac Donald. INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OPINION. The secretary (Mr. Graham) read the following letter from Dr. Yalintine, Inspector General of Hospitals, dated August 1G:—"I very much regret to hear of the troubles that have arisen oi late at your hospital. During the time I hp.ve been officially cc-nected with youc Board I have always regarded the Taranaki Hospital Board as one of the heat tulrainietered in the Dominion, a 9 the institution was controlled by a board working in perfect hatmony with tho medical and nursing staffs. I should be eorry to gee tho institution, which has bo long held a premier position in the ranks of our public hospitals, become food for criticism as regards its administration. and I sincerely hope that it is not yet too late for your board to so amend matters as to make it possible to retain the services of those members of the medical and nursing staffs who have brought such deserved credit on the New Plymouth Hospital. In conclusion, I may say that the present is no time for the rights or wrongs of a case to be discussed. The interests of the institution and the patients must be studied and theverv best interests of both will be met by continuing the present administration." The secretary stated that on receipt of the above letter he had consulted with the acting-chairman, and on his authority had sent a copy of the resolution passed by tho board at its last meeting to the Inspector General. The following reply, dated August 30, had been received beg to acknowledge your letter of August Id and should be glad if you would inform your board that I congratulate them on the resolution passed at the meeting of the 17th inst." The chairman: It's a good thing somebody can congratulate us. Mrs. Dockrill: Yes, and the InspectorGeneral at that.

The following letter from the medical staff wa» read: —

The chairman ard members, Taranaki Hospital Board, New Plymouth.— Wo beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of August 17, conveying the resolution passed at the Board's meeting on the 15th day of that month. We desiro to express our appreciation of the action of those members who were, responsible for, or supported this resolution at a most regrettable crisis in the history of the institution. It must, however, bo obvious to all that, during the past fifteen months, relations between the Board as a, whole and its executive staff havo becomo the reverse of harmonious, a state that does not conduce either to the welfare of the hospital or to the happiness of those who are more closely associated with its work.

On September 19, 1916, apropos of the nurses' petition regarding the lack of accommodation in the home, a letter from your medical *taff included these words:-. , ij ( . lA r ! 1 "The nurses' petition of June 2 called the attention of the board to a position that demanded immediate treatment, a position entirely due to th« great lack of accommodation in i much overcrowded nurses' home. The needa, major and minor, wAi'e not merely a matter of tho comfort of the staff but were intimately concerned with their health, their I freedom from communicable disease »nd their efficient training for their life's work." And, latsr, in the same Setter:— "Tha unsympathetic attitude of your Board towards its executtva staff has created a position whie'a menaces the harmony, which has always existed within the institution. With the increase in the work arid in its importance, it becomes more than ever necessary to encourage our senior nurses to remain with us M long as possible and to assume the new responsibilities associated with progress. "Your Board must realise how far this is possible under present condition* and the responsibility of administration is bound to become one w# cannot undertake."

Since tliat letter was written, the hospital has lost its matron, three sisters Und five fully trained and certificated nurses. Relations between the Board as a 'whole and staff have not improved and the term "unsympathetic attitude" is hardly an adequate description of the attitude of a section of the Board at the special meeting of July 30. Your staff is of opinion that there never v,-as a time in the history of the institution when the most cordial cooperation between all branches of its management was more urgently demanded. An extraordinary demand has been made upon the administration and strength of the staff and it is eertainlv "carrying on" notwithstanding great difficulties associated with the stress of the times. The staff emphatically holds that there is abundance of work in your board's particular sphere and that the consideration of necessary provision in the way of building extension would be a better way of spending the all too short time of your deliberations than futile discussions on such details as alleged DTTQii in the arrangements for a soldiers' 'room at the hospital or by interfering unnecessarily in internal administration.

Your Board, as a whole, has absolutely failed to recognise that the interests |o£ the Board, staff and ratepayers should be identical, and we are told that the Board has to "remember the ratepayers" Does the Board suggest that the medical staff fails to remember the ratepayers' Has not every request of your Board been actuated by a desire to give the ratepayers our verj besi service and to

make every provision for dn efficient institution? And yet, nt your table there is talk ox "nagging letters," "who shall rule," and the statement is made "the institution would never bo conducted as it should bo if the Board was going to aljow itself to be dictated to by Dr. Walter and the staff." Your medical staff has a:;kod for itself jiothing, absolutely nothing. It has aakect, among other things, adeqpiate accommodation for a much increased nursing staff and given excellent reasons for so doing. Your Board's reply, after a lapse of 15 months, during which needs hive become even more urgent, ia to unanimously carry 11. resolution deferring the matter'until "after tho war." The Board has given ample proof of its failures to recognise that the institution has progressed by leaps and bounds and, with a prudent policy and efficient administration, there i 3 no reason why this progress should not be .maintained. In this connection, last 'month's record of 118 admissions. 80 discharged, 113 remaining in hospital, a highest daily number of 124. and a daily average of 105, may be compared with August 1014, when there were 54 admissions, 50 discharged and 57 remaining in hospital. With such an increase, the Board must expect to bo called upon to make further provision in all departments and, as time goes on, further demands must •bo made. It cannot therefore bo sound business to postpone indefinitely, the treatment of present needs. The Board has failed to co-operate with the staff in its endeavor to maintain progress and tho position is one we cannot accept. It is therefore with regret that we find ourselves unable to withdraw the resignations submitted at your last meetings A, E, WALKER (Medical Supt.), H. B. LEATIIAM (Radiologist). E. F. FOOKES (Assistant Surgeon, -acting), THE DISCUSSION. i

Mr. Mcßeynolds asked if It was not tlm case that the staff had been consulted, and had agreed to the erection of a nurses' home being deferred. Personally he had voted against Mr. McAllum's motion to defer erecting the home till after the Avar, but lie was under the impression that the doctors and nurse -, had agrcecd to the proposal on being consuited by the house committee. The acting-chairman said that as a member of the house committee he could say that there had been no consultation and no such agreement. Mr. Mac-Donald said that Mr. McAllum had not said in moving his motion that there had beeu a consultation and au agreement, bub that he had heard the nurses wero agreeable to the erection of the home being deferred. Mr. McKeynolds said he had an impression that a stronger statement had been mude, but at anyrate it had not influenced him as he had voted against the motion. While not tendering his resignation, he wished to say that that meeting of the hoard was the last one he would attend. They 'were told that the doctors had the interests of the hospital at heart, and no doubt they had, but it seemed to him regrettable that they should have sprung this surprise at such a time. The term of the present members of tho board had a very short time to run, only two months. Personally he. did not intend to do anything but !the people of his district did not take kindly to the idea of sending two others [members to the board in place of Mr. | Maxwell and himself. He had been a member for seven years, and he had had to travel long distances to attend the ! meetings, and he would not bo sorry to be out of it. At the same tinio he had to confess that attending the meetings had given him considerable pleasure. lie regretted that the proposed reconstruction of tho board would exclude lady members, because he had always thought I that, especially on charitable aid and hospital boards, there should bo ladies. As he had said, he did not intend coming to another meeting, but he would | have very much preferred to part with tho other members under better condijtionos. It was not very long ago that the lato chairman had congratulated 'them on being an extraordinarily efficient board.

The acting-chairman: And the Inspeei tor-General eava something of the same kind in the letter read to-day. Mr. Mac Donald said tliat when the board had passed a resolution granting an inquiry anyone could see that the doctors would resign; they had no alternative. The element that had caused all the trouble was not present at that for which he was sorry, aa ho would have liked to speak to those composing it straight out. He held that the board had no' more right to interfere with the internal administration of the »taff than they would have to dictate to the doctors what kind of medicine to give to the patients. When the resolution was ipassed it was easy to foresee that what had happened would happen.

Mr. Tate said tha position was a most unfortunate one, and was practically due to a misunderstanding. Untruthful statement? had misled tlio board, and in conseouence words had been used at the table which should not have been used, because every member had the very highest rspect for the doctors and the nurses. It was extremely regretted that such a state of things should have come about at a time so momentous. There would be only two more meetings of the board as at present constituted, and it would be the height of folly to elect new members for so short a period. It would have •boeen much better for the doctors to liavo held tho matter over till the new board was elected. What could new members do in two meetings better than tho present ones could? So far as resigning was concerned, he had no desire to remain on the Board, but he, and no doubt other members, felt keenly when it came to a question of being i-nomini-ously kicked out for a thing for which some of the members were in no way to blame. As the time was so short till the annual election, he thought the In-spector-General might be asked to mediate, and a special meeting of the Board held to consider his reply when it was received. He moved to that effect. Mrs. Doekrill seconded the motion pro forma. The acting-chairman expressed as his personal opinion that the Board should 'abide by the resolution passed at their previous meeting. His own resignation was in, and so were those of Messrs McCallum, Halcombe, McDonald, and Maxwell.

Mr. Maxwell said he thought it ineumji>ent on all members of the Board, j whether they had voted for or against, 'to abide by the resolution tliat had been passed. They were not there to gratify their own desires, but to do what the.v could in tho best interests of the hospital, and it seemed to him that a crisis 4iad been reached when tiiey could do no good. The doctors had not withdrawn their resignations, and it seemed.to him iir.per, live that the Board should abide ,b,y its resolution. Bjf remaining on the.

Board under the. cirenmstaJicea nd good purpose could Ijo ecr/ed. Of counw tho pusiness of tho Board would go on, ag the members, including the acting-cSiair-man, would remain in oiTico until their successors were appointed. As to Mr. Tate's resolution, he thought it would bo absolutely lutilo to attempt any mediation. The actiug-cliainnan said hj« had expected tlie doctors' reply to the Board's resolution earlier, but, of course, at the present time doctors were very busy men. Mr. Meßeynolds said it was the same when the doctors sent in their resignation. It cama as a complete surprise and had not given tho Board inuch time for consideration. The acting-chairman said the whole business was most unfortunate, .but he thought the doctors quite right in the stand they had taken. There was no doubt that increased accommodation for the nurses was absolutely necessary. Mr. Tate's motion was allowed to drop, and he also handed in his resignation, Mrs. Dockrill doing likewise. The acting-chairman said they now had the resignations of all the members except Mr. Gilmour, who was unavoidably absent, Mr. Brown, and Mr. McRevuolda. Mr. Brown had intimated at last meeting his intention of resigning. Mrs. Dockrill: Suppose we aie all reelected, what will happen then? (Laughter.) Tho acting-chairman said he did not know, and Mr. Tate expressed the opinion that some of them at least 1 would decline the honor. Motions for acceptances of the resignations were then put, each separately, and on being carried the meeting closed.