[Report 1943] / Medical Officer of Health, Eastbourne County Borough.

  • Eastbourne (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1943
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1943] / Medical Officer of Health, Eastbourne County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/24 (page 4)
    but clso in design, thereby, in addition to providing decent homes for ell, giving further stimulus to the existing tendency towards a steadily rising birth rate. The formation early in 1944 of a Joint Hospitals Consultative Committee with members representing tho Council’s Hospitals and the Voluntary Hospitals in the Borough, was a very vjolcome move in the direction of co-operation betv'joen voluntary effort and Municipal control. Such co-opera- tion can only result in a better' service to the comraunity at largo. The difficulty experienced in recent years in finding sufficient and suitable nursing staff for our liooxoitcls was no less acute in the year under review. The arrangement with the Authorities 'of All Saints Hospital whereby that hospital at any time acccmmcdntes, up to 50 of our chronic typo of case Yjas of very c nsidorablo 'vcl’sc in casing the strain cn St. Mary’s. The findings of tho Rushcliffc CommittGO on salaries •earn'’ conditions of service of Numses adopted in full, end took effect as frem April 1st. Nursing is now unciuosticnably a profession offering a very attractive career for a young.'girl, and it is to be hoj)ed that on the cossaticn cf hostilities a steady flow of student nurses will be forthcoming. T]u; Nurses Act 1943 provided for'the formf.’.tion of s. Roll of r-ssistant'Nurses, and also for the registration by G. unty and C-unty ?'-rough Conncils of Jgoncies for the supply of nurses. Tho JiibulancG Service, previously under tho control of the Borough Tolice, was., during tho year taken over by the local Division of the St.John Ambulance Brigade. Thrt Voluntary Body was well equipped to undertake this important respo.nsibility as it had for many years run its own ambulanco service .most efficiently, and was in faict already dcin.g, on contract, an . important part of tho Corporation's .Ambulance work. The supervision of the Service is now the responsibility of the Public Health D epartnent. ! ‘ Sirico 1939, the Department has organised the Emergency Bleed Transfusion Service, end h^s worked very closely witliltiie striff at the princess Alice Hospital Laboratory vjhere the testing, typing, and bleeding of donors is carried out. Tho response to appoels for donors has alviays been satisfactory, and at the end of the year the list comprised some one hundred odd Group 0 (iv) volunteers. BollovJing'Dr Lowe’s resignation in August, it was not found possible to secure the .services of a full time Deputy Medical o fficer cf Health. Dr D* G. Churcher, who has'.hold the position of Assistant Tuberculosis Officor for a number of years, was appointed temporary part time' Deputy Mcdic-'^l Officer of Health and School Medical Officer in November. A number of other practitioners also, apart from, thoir work in connection vjith Civil Defence or the Smorgcncy Ilospit' 1 Scheme, have given excellent service at Clinics, Centres, end in connection with tho clinical work of the Department generally. My own staff have stood up unflinchingly to yet another year of long hours, hard work, and many difficulties, and once more it is my privilege to acknoV'/lodgo in my -.r.nnual Report ny apx)reciation of their loyalty and devotion to duty. You, Mr Mayor, tho Chairman end Members of tho S-a hitary and Public Health Coraraittoe, md indeed every member cf tho Council, os always, gave me every onecuragernent and support, and I take this opportunity of thanking you most sincerely. I c-m, Mr Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen ^Yours Obedient Servant, ^ Medical Officer of Health.