GISBORNE HOSPITAL INQUIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 February 1918, Page 6

GISBORNE HOSPITAL INQUIRY.

REPORT 01' COMMISSION. By Telegraph.—Press Association, i Wellington, Last Night. The report of .\U- Bishop, the commissioner appointed to inquire into the GicI'ttrnc Hospital considers tile institution i in the past was not. efficiently conducted; that the hospital provides ample accommodation, which, perhaps, has been unduly strained at times of severe epidemics,, but thin should be provided for without undiu strain; that the cost to the ratepayers, in comparison with other hospitals., is reasonable; that the by-laws arc amply sufficient to maintain discipline, and there is no reason to be- . lieve they are not ueing enforced. Kcgarding the reported unrest, there lias been an extraordinarily amount of ; unrest for k considerable number of . years. The trouble probably commenced , six years ago, owing to a most .deplorable lack of discipline The then matrcn ; had outlived her usefulness, and the new matron had a lon v uphill struggle, but iittle by ,little she broke.down opposition and, although the difficulties have ! not yet entirely disappear".], the wholo [ tone of the institution has improved, i Mr. Hisliop pays n 'high tribute to the courage and grit displayed by Miss Tait, ! the present matron. The commissioner ' also con"iders some of the unrest was . due to the action of some reactionary , members of past boards, who outnumbered the "reformers." who, if they 'had had a free hand, ivould have obviated the necessity for this inquiry. The board now, however, hon been considerably changed, and might still be furioer changed without tile loss of influence. He paid'a tribute to the work of the past two chairmen, and believes the present chairman is also likely to carry on the good work. Ke acquits the Public Health and tin, Hospital and CliariAid Department of any blame in the matter, and finds l-aat the honorary stall' were in no way responsible for the unrest at the hospital. He considers that if the matron and medical superintendent work togethei only good can result, but that has not ueen the case in the jiast. There is no doubt that the medical r.uperintendent ha* licen greatly overworked, and thai- his physical' health suffered in consequence- He is not at the present time in such a condition of health as to makv his attention desirable. He has don,, efficient work in the past, but that eljiciency has not been continued, and a criange of some sort is needed. Evidence was given of neglect of patients by nurses in tlie past, but none of these nurses are now on the staff of the hospital. There have been S-2 resignations from the sttifl' in the past "five years. There was, in the past, no effective discipline of the nursing staff main-' tuined by the responsible officers, but this is gradually- ueing remedied. Th.e training 0 f pupil nurses is being conducted entirely ii. accordance with the regulations. Lectures are regularly given by the medical superintendent and

nursesThcre are seven private hospitals in nisborne, with JSS oeds, which is more m proportion, than towns of a similar Copulation. Thert was no satisfactory evidence as to the amount of intbres't ot the medical men in these hospitals except in one cast. On the other hand' Drs. Wilson, Rcevt, nnci Kahlenberghave no financial interest m any private ho?. Ipitnl. The mere tact that med'ical men "aye a financial internst in private hospitals at once raises siisoicJon in ea«cs of unrest in public hospitals such as at

i.iiborne. some of which mav be due to interested parties keeping alive rumors lor ignoble motives, but one may reasonably hesitate to identify members of an honorable profesion with anything so daMardly. The commissioner considers (hat no medical man who was interested m a private hospital should bo eligible for a seat on a hospital board, and says lie cannot ignore tne fact.that the general public, rightly or wrongly, attribute the greater part of the unrest being kept alive to tin actions of one man who made himself nusy in espousing the cause of individual nurses who came under the matron's ban, and by talking in an indiscreet manner as to' what he would and would not do. Such criticism had much better have been kept for the board room. The commissioner considers that with i new and experienced hospital superintendent working amicably with the matron nothing but good should result. He hesitates to express any opinion aa to the propriety of retaining the new regulation, under the Nurses Kegistration Act, which provides that tho'training of pupil nurse, may not be terminated without the consent of the registrar af nurses, or whether it is indeed ultra vires. A great deal could, be said both for and against its retention. It may be mischievous Oi. tlie reverse. Mr, Bishop prefers to leave it at that.