Annual report of the Board of Control : 12th, 1925.

Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Annual report of the Board of Control : 12th, 1925. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    199/482 (page 189)
    their lot as the circumstances of their detention permit. Requests for discharge were few and complaints as to treatment were wholly absent. There is overcrowding to the extent of 27 on the male side and 43 on the female side, but we understand that the Committee, who are well alive to this, and who are evidently so ready to consider anything which may conduce to the well-being of the patients, have under their consideration the provision of further accommodation. Since October 15th, 1924, there have been 251 admissions, 15 have been transferred to other care and 131 have been discharged, of whom 65 had recovered. Those allowed out on trial number 81, to 24 of whom money allowances were granted and there have been 88 deaths. On the statutory books there are 1,334 patients—males 574, females 760, of whom 151 are private patients—there are 65 service patients and the out-county patients are 56 in number, 11 being from various unions and 45 received under contract from Nottingham. The last-named are to be removed as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made. Nine patients are on trial, leaving in residence 1,325 : males 571, females 754. Within the estate parole is allowed to 57 men and 4 women and beyond the estate to 51 men and 60 women. The maintenance rate for home patients is 16s. lid., for out-county patients 21s., and for private patients from 25s. 8d. to 77s. Only one patient has been mechanically restrained. The staff consists of :— Charge Male Nurses ------- 7 Ordinary ,, ., - - - - - - - 41 Charge Female Nurses - - - - - - -17 Ordinary ,, ,, - - - - - - - 71 for day and 9 and 15 respectively, for night duty. Eighteen female nurses are employed on the male side. The health of the patients has been good and except for some mild cases of influenza affecting patients on both sides of the hospital and for 8 cases of dysentery mostly on the female side, there has been no epidemic disease. The patients known to be suffering from tuberculosis number 9; 6 men and 3 women, and 5 of the 83 deaths were caused by this disease. All cases are nursed in the tubercular annexes under open air conditions and are as far as possible kept separate from other patients. Besides the tubercular patients a number of others are nursed on the excellent verandahs attached to the infirmary wards and they appeared to be comfortable and to enjoy the open air, though the outside tem¬ perature was very low. Hot bottles are provided for their use, but we thought the stock of these was insufficient to meet the needs of all. We also thought that some of the day rooms and dormitories in the ordinary wards were too cold and we suggest that when this is the case, central heating should be augmented by open fires. The large majority of the patients in bed were being nursed for mental reasons or on account of old age and debility and cases of acute illness were few in number. The death rate for 1924 was the low one of 6-2 per cent, and it is hoped that the rate for the present year will be still lower. The chief causes of the deaths, all except two of which were due to natural causes, were heart disease in 29 instances and general paralysis in 24, 23 men and 1 woman. The patients suffering from this complaint are being treated by induced malaria, but, though it is too early to speak in any way definitely of the results, so far without apparent success. Laboratory work in connection with this treatment and also in routine investigations, as an aid to diagnosis and treatment, is regularly carried out by the medical staff and in addition special research work is under¬ taken. Dr. Parkin has spent much time in investigations into blood