[Report 1929] / Medical Officer of Health, Darlington County Borough.

  • Darlington (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1929
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1929] / Medical Officer of Health, Darlington County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    22/138 (page 20)
    Tlie Hospital has been reeognised by tlie General Nursing Couneil and the Ministry of Health as a Training School for Probationer Nurses desiring to obtain the Fever Nurses’ Certificate for State Registration. It is quite evident that great difficulty would have been experienced in finding Probationer Nurses, whereas now numerous applications for opportunities of training are being received. Had the claim for recognition not been successful we would have been obliged to ciuj^loy an all trained Nursing Staff. The staff consists of Matron, four Sisters, four Staff Nurses and eight Probationers, with a domestic staff of Maids as required. A Laundry, Steam Disinfector and Motor Ambulance are })ro- vided on the premises. The equipment was su])plemented by the installation of a Jesionek Artificial Sunlight Mercury Vapour Ijamp for use chiefly on convalescent debilitated scarlet fever patients. The usual full treatment consists of at least five doses given at the rate of two ])er week, starting with a complete bodily exposure of two minutes and finishing with the patient developing a slight bronzing with 30 minutes duration. The good results were commented upon by the grateful parents. One outstanding feature was the | general feeling of high spirits amongst the patients whilst under- j going the course, and often a refractory troublesome child under- i went a perfect transformation as a result. It has been an excellent j investment not only in reducing the usual period of convalescence. ti and the severity of complications even of mild scarlet fever but ii also in turning out contented patients to more contented parents, ii Summary of the Work. Cases. Patient Days. Deaths. Borough 337 12,145 19 Rural and others 112 4,956 2 Totar 449 17,101 21 Average staff during year —Nursing .... 16 Domestic .... 17 A total of 81 days of illness of staff was chiefly made up hy i two nurses contracting mild scarlet fever and by one of the maids having to undergo an operation through swallowing a i)in.