[Report 1941] / Medical Officer of Health, Cumberland County Council.

  • Cumberland (England). County Council.
Date:
1941
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1941] / Medical Officer of Health, Cumberland County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/50 (page 6)
    It would not be proper to comment on the re-action of the Surveying Officers to these points, or to anticipate their lindings in any way, but at least it may safely be said that the discussions which took place are likely to prove of the greatest value, and were conducted throughout in the best possible spirit. One point is clear and that is that, post-war, our proposals for hospital development must not be subjected to the in- ordinate, and, in my judgment, unnecessary delays which marked the decade between the passing of the Local Govern- ment Act of 1939 and the outbreak of war. These delays had some understandable basis because of the numerous interests involved, but most of the thorny points have been fully discussed and settled, and although there will necessarily have to be considerable re-casting it should be possible to progress much more quickly when the questions again come up for review. In recent years the municipal hospital has climbed to a new and well merited place in public opinion. The question has been raised to me many times whether the best policy for the County Council would not have been to build and maintain a municipal hospital. Whether the County Council may ultimately establish a municipal hospital in any part of the area 1 cannot say, but my view remains unchanged that the establishment of a municipal hospital as a sort of rival to the Cumberland Infirmary woidd be a fundamental mistake. The duplication of small hospitals is contrary to the trend of hospital development evei'3’W'here, and our needs as a Local Authoiit}’ could not justify the establishment of a municipal hospital of an economic size. Our clear policy is to support and further the development of a base hospital of adequate size, and of as high a degree of efficiency as practicable, at the Cumberland Infirmary, and, whatever else we ma\' do, to assist in co-ordinating round the base hospital the activities of all other hospitals, voluntary and otherwise, in the area. The impending atklition of a imtted iumexe t)f 144 beds under the L.M.S. Hospital Scheme at the Cumberland In- ifiinaiy will, in so far as these beds can be made acailable lor the community' at large, l)e a substantial easing of our hospital problem. It iiuiy ]no\‘ide for the establishment of an organised fracfuie ser\ice, it should make possible the extended tieatment of g\ naecological conditions, and 1 hope that it may iiidirecllx ease the maternit}' bed position of the County which has been tluoughouL the year very difficult.