The labour movement and the hospital crisis
1922 1922 1920s 21 pages can obtain the assistance necessary to put them on their feet again after an illness. Arrangements should be made for the training of district nurses at the General Hospitals. AFTER-CARE The chances of permanent recovery are greatly impaired by entire lack of after-care and...
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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/DDBBFF32-9EAD-45DD-B8D1-9F421D883AEE http://hdl.handle.net/10796/BE04C004-C103-4358-B335-220F56D55FA6 |
| Summary: | 1922
1922
1920s
21 pages
can obtain the assistance necessary to put them on their feet again after an illness. Arrangements should be made for the training of district nurses at the General Hospitals. AFTER-CARE The chances of permanent recovery are greatly impaired by entire lack of after-care and supervision. The invalid partially recovers and force of circumstances then drives him or her back to work too soon, or to work, the nature of which, and the surroundings in which it is undertaken, will again inevitably lead to a fresh breakdown. A complete health service for the community ought to make some provision for following up cases discharged from hospitals, and for securing change of occupation where the individuals would otherwise be certain to suffer relapse after relapse leading to permanent incapacity. Arrangements should also be made for the provision of spectacles, remedial or surgical appliances, and any other apparatus, the lack of which would render the patient less comfortable and less able to follow his occupation. VOLUNTARY HOSPITALS AND VOLUNTARY SERVICES Undoubtedly in the past the Voluntary Hospitals have been of the greatest benefit to suffering humanity. Not only have they provided individuals with necessary institutional treatment, but they have established and maintained the science and art of medicine on a very high level. Within their walls steady, hard work has been done, not only in the wards, but in the laboratories, whereby great discoveries have been made, the root causes of disease have been revealed, and all the modern methods of prevention and cure have been evolved. Of old the benefits of hospital treatment were willingly offered and willingly received, and no harm was done, but in more recent times a different spirit has crept in, with the result that Sir Charles Loch, of the Charity Organisation Society, once said he was forced to look upon the Voluntary Hospitals as the greatest pauperising agency in the country. "Dare quam accipere," "It is more blessed to give than to receive," is only one side of the picture, the other being that it requires as strong and noble a character to receive without hurt as to give. Apart from this, there is the cold hard fact that the voluntary system has failed to keep pace with the ever-increasing cost of modern requirements, and consequently even existing hospitals are getting into greater and greater financial difficulties, limiting both the extent and efficiency of their services. This being so, the provision of increased accommodation by voluntary means is quite out of the question. There are, however, many people who genuinely deplore the passing of this means of expressing "charity," and would therefore have the voluntary system retained at all costs. But if the hospitals become part of an organised public medical service, charity in its true sense need not necessarily go to the wall. It is surely as noble and satisfying to give to the community as a whole for the benefit of all as to give to a charitable institution reserved in theory for but one section of the community. Sir Sydney Waterlow, for many years President of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, doubtless derived as much pleasure from, and did as much good by, presenting Lauderdale Park to the London County Council for the use of all as he did by giving his services to the sick and needy poor at the 15
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