Annual report for the year ended 31st March, 1952 / The hospital management committee for St. Augustine's.

  • St. Augustine's Hospital (Chartham Down). Hospital Management Committee.
Date:
[1952?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Annual report for the year ended 31st March, 1952 / The hospital management committee for St. Augustine's. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/24 (page 17)
    No other major work has been undertaken but I understand that authority has been made for constructing a much needed cold-room for the Kitchen. There is a plan for the complete overhaul of the main kitchen but this is unlikely to be under¬ taken just yet. A gas cooker has been installed, but the chef told me that a lack of small boilers leads to a less varied diet than could be provided if they were available. There is also a shortage of larders. Food is taken to ihe wards in insulated containers and it arrives in the wards in an adequately hot condition. 1 found that the ward plate heaters are efficient, and are being properly used. The mid-day meal which I saw being served was of macaroni-cheese with potatoes and peas, followed by date pudding and sauce. A second course is not provided on one day in the week, but on this day the first course is a particularly substantial one. A light supper is served. In the last entry the lack of comfortable chairs especially in the male wards was mentioned. I am glad to say that there has been a marked improvement. Quite a number of easy chairs have been bought, and many of the long wooden benches, which will be eliminated gradually, have been provided with Dunlopillo seats. I hope this process will continue as there is still a long way to go. Extensive decoration of the wards has taken place with pleasing effect and there are few really bad wards left. All the female wards had white net curtains over the lower window panes, but in the male wards curtains were conspicuous by their absence. There was a considerable supply of cut flowers considering the time of the year. All the wards and other premises were very clean and well kept. The Hospital has no proper waiting room but a large inner entrance hall has been furnished with comfortable chairs and tables, and it serves this purpose very well Comments in these entries have been made several times about the state of the library service here. A new chaplain has been appointed and has been put in charge of the library. I have not visited before but it is clear to me that much hard work has been devoted to putting the actual library in order and to organise a service. The books appear to me to be well classified and properly indexed. The library is open for an hour every morning and for 2 hours on Saturdays. Patients change their own books, or if they cannot do so, their friends or nurses do it for them. These facilities are an improvement but the hours of opening are few and there is no ward service. Even so the chaplain told me that half his time is taken up with library work, which is wrong. Failing a full-time librarian to take his place it is clear that he must have help. Patients have not proved very successful, but others should be tried. I suggested that it was possible that help might be obtained from the “W.V.S.”