Britain's Health Services
1942-10 1942 1940s 40 pages Notes :— (a) A distinction is always made in the hospital world between Voluntary and Local Authority Hospitals, as there are considerable differences in administration, staffing, staff problems and type of work done. (b) Explanation of Terms:— Acute...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
London : Communist Party of Great Britain
October 1942
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/CE9FEC3A-16FE-4636-8966-C472090DD108 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/BC81A5C7-9347-43F6-8CD1-BCB31C62025E |
| Summary: | 1942-10
1942
1940s
40 pages
Notes :— (a) A distinction is always made in the hospital world between Voluntary and Local Authority Hospitals, as there are considerable differences in administration, staffing, staff problems and type of work done. (b) Explanation of Terms:— Acute : Urgent cases likely to gain early benefit from treatment. Beds occupied by such cases show quick turnover. Chronic : Patient needing constant attention over prolonged period, with small prospect of cure. Slow turnover. Infirm : Aged patients not needing professional nursing and not entirely confined to bed. (c) Specialities include such things as gynaecology, eyes, ear, nose and throat, nervous diseases, orthopaedics, pediatrics, etc. All infectious diseases are catered for by Local Authority Hospitals. Mental Hospitals are virtually residential hospitals, patients being practically permanent. (d) Peace-time Figures: 300,000 beds added since outbreak of war. Work Done by Hospitals The important part that the services play in national life is revealed by the following round figures, which relate to annual work in general hospitals only :— Hospitals. New Inpatients. New Outpatients. Total New Patients. Annual Visits to O.P.D's. Voluntary (General and Special) 1,250,000 5,500,000 6,750,000 25,000,000 Local Authority 500,000 500,000 1,000,000 not known. 1,750,000 6,000,000 7,750,000 As the majority of patients treated in general hospitals are workers, it can be seen that approximately one person per working class family receives treatment in a Hospital each year. In aggregate the time spent by people in hospital is colossal. Average length of stay of patients is:— Acute (Voluntary Hospitals—Quicker turnover) 21 days. „ (Local Authority Hospitals) 28 „ Chronic ( „ „ „ ) 194 „ Infirm ( „ „ „ ) 138 „ Mental ( „ „ „ ) Almost permanent. 4. PERSONNEL Staffing of a typical Voluntary General Hospital A general voluntary hospital of, say, 250 beds would be staffed somewhat as follows:— 31
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |