Annual report : 1943 / Hospital of St. Cross, Rugby.

Hospital of St. Cross (Rugby, England)

Date:: 1943

Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report : 1943 / Hospital of St. Cross, Rugby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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D. >S. Hodson and Mr. G. Ralph were appointed to fill vacancies on the Board. The Rev. W. A. H. Elliott, who bad been a member of the Board for some years, resigned on his leaving Rugby. On September 11th the Hospital was visited by the President and the medals and prizes won by members of the Nursing Staff during the previous jmar were presented in the presence of their colleagues and members of the Board, who were very pleased to welcome Mrs. Arthur James and to congratulate her on her restoration to hea‘th. It is hoped that the Nursing Staff Prizegiving will become an annual ceremony. Medical Staff. ' The Board learned with regret of the death of a former member of the Honorary Visiting Consulting Staff, Mr. F. W. Sydenham, who was appointed Visiting Consultant to the Ear, Nose and Throat Department in 1918 and resigned in 1941. The Board also have to record with deep regret the death of Dr. A. I. Simey, who held the office of Honorary Physician and Honorary Radiologist from 1915 to 1930. Dr. T. E. Waine was appointed temporary assistant anaesthetist during fhe year. There were no other changes in the Medical Staff. The Board desire to take this opportunity of expressing on behalf of the Governors their sincere and grateful thanks to all members of the Medical Staff, whether Visiting or Consulting, for their services to the patients during the past year. Outlook for the Future. Reference has been made in previous reports to the subject of co-ordination of hospital services and the trend of hospital affairs nationally. A Sub-Com¬ mittee which considered the Beveridge Report, which was issued in 1942, reported to the Board of Management that they considered a place for the voluntary hospital was assured in any system of unified national health services that might be devised. This view was shared in many quarters, and the Board of Manage¬ ment has therefore lost no time in undertaking the preliminary investigations which will form the background to the future development of the Hospital of St. Cross. During the past year the Hospital was visited by the surveyors appointed by the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust to conduct a survey of the Hospital Services in the West Midlands area, with a view to making a report to the Ministry of Health. Your representatives were able to place in the hands of the Surveyors full information concerning the work already being accomplished at the Hospital of St. Cross and its plans for adequately meeting any future demands on its services. At the present time the Board of Management is engaged in the task of selecting an Architect to whom will be entrusted the important task of preparing the plans for the erection of the extensions to the Hospital buildings after the War, and re-constructing the several existing departments, such as the Laundry, the Pathological Department, which have long been a source of considerable anxiety to the Board owing to the buildings being too small and out of date. It is probable that the enlargement of the Hospital will proceed in sections as soon as the removal of restrictions on building make it possible to proceed and as funds for Hospital extensions are available. In this connection the attention of the Governors and the public of Rugby is drawn to the fact that a very considerable sum of money will be required and a Development Fund has been created, to which donations for post-war development can be credited. At least £100,000 will be required and intending donors can earmark their contributions for any Department they wish to benefit, e.g., the post-war Maternity Block, the Laundry, Pathological Department., the Nurses’ Home, the Hostel for domestic workers or for general development in any department selected by the Board. In another part of this report figures are set out showing the amount already available for future development.