The labour movement and the hospital crisis
1922 1922 1920s 21 pages A system of payments has long been in force at some of the special hospitals in London, and experience shows that it tends to attract the so-called "lower middle-class" and to drive away the lower-paid working man and the genuine necessitous poor. The syste...
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| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
| Language: | English English |
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London ; published by the Trades Union Congress and the Labour Party
[1922]
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/D4DFFCDB-5E33-4D66-97E4-EC8694AB7409 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/A3A1E15F-55BB-43EB-A315-8238019C20CC |
| Summary: | 1922
1922
1920s
21 pages
A system of payments has long been in force at some of the special hospitals in London, and experience shows that it tends to attract the so-called "lower middle-class" and to drive away the lower-paid working man and the genuine necessitous poor. The system has recently been adopted at many of the General Hospitals, and it is already evident that the same thing will happen. Indeed, at some hospitals where no charge is made there is a rush of people who cannot afford to apply elsewhere. The tendency of the system of payments, whether direct or through some form of insurance, must be to render existing hospitals a close preserve for those who can afford to pay. "I put off coming, doctor, because I could not afford it," is only too often the answer of a patient when asked why he did not come earlier whilst there was still hope of recovery. "I put off going to the hospital because I could not afford it " will soon be heard as well. Undoubtedly, the chief barrier between sufferers and skilled advice is the financial one, and it will be detrimental to the health of the nation if poor folk are debarred from institutional treatment because of the fees demanded. Hospitals should certainly be free and open to all in need of such services as their general and special departments can and should provide. (c) Approved Societies It has been strongly suggested by the Cave Committee and other bodies that the Approved Societies should apply part of their available surplus, as ascertained by the recent valuation, in support of Voluntary Hospitals. It is pointed out that hospitals not only relieve the suffering of many members, but shorten the period of their incapacity and so lessen the strain of claims upon the societies' funds. Some societies have adopted this suggestion. In this connection it is again desirable to point out that with the present shortage of hospital beds the medical or surgical necessities of a patient would be the determining factor in ensuring his admission and not membership of this or that Approved Society. If any Approved Societies think fit to make any such contributions, they should certainly make them conditional on the provision or increased accommodation. (d) Payments by the Insured We must here note the suggestion, which we understand that the Ministry of Health has made to local authorities, that they should invite persons admitted to tuberculosis sanatoria to contribute to the expense. We understand that some local authorities have interpreted this suggestion to mean that they may call upon such persons to hand over to such local authorities the cash benefits to which they may be entitled under the National Insurance Acts. We must point out that, under the Act of 1921, the provision of sanatorium benefit was definitely severed from the National Insurance scheme, and made part of the Public Health service of the local authorities, available equally for all inhabitants, insured or uninsured. Whatever voluntary contribution may be sought from persons able to pay, we see no ground for making any distinction in this respect between these two classes. It was explicitly promised by the Government, in Parliament, that insured persons should be placed by the Act in no worse position than they were before. They are now entitled, merely as inhabitants, to the use of all the Public Health services equally with other inhabitants, and to subject them 10
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |