Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the hospitals of Dublin : with appendices / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Marjesty.

  • Ireland. Dublin Hospitals' Commission.
Date:
1856
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the hospitals of Dublin : with appendices / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Marjesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    10/52 (page 10)
    Our attention was attracted to the absence from this hospital of a proper system of medical registration. This seems to us a most unaccountable neglect in such an institution. In similar hospitals in London, in Edinburgh, and in Glasgow, a classified registry is kept of the number of cases occurring under each form of the disease. Such a registry is also kept by the Medical Officers of the North and South Dublin Unions, and ought to be introduced into the Westmore- land Lock Hospital without delay. - The hospital is now managed by a Board of Governors appointed by the Lord Lieutenant. We recommend that its future government be confided to a Board of Management to be partly nominated by the Lord Lieutenant, and partly to be elected from Life-Governors and Annual Subscribers. We recommend that the qualification of a Life-Governor be a donation of £20, tliat of an Annual Governor a subscription of £2. We recommend that the ]3oard of Management consist of not more than twenty-one members, nor of less than nine, one-third of whom should be nominees of the Lord Lieutenant, and the remaining two-thirds elected out of the qualified Governors; and that in case there should be an insufficiency of qualified Governors to make up the minimum number, the Lord Lieutenant be empowered to complete that number by his own nominations. We recommend that the entire control of the establishment be committed to the hands of this Board, who should have power to dismiss any of its officers or servants; the appointment of such persons remaining with the Governors generally. For some time the number of beds maintained in this hospital was 150, but in consequence of the reduction of the Parliamentary Grant, that number has been reduced to forty. We are of opinion that it will be necessary to provide for the reception of 150 patients, and that for this purpose an annual sum of £2,600 should be allocated out of the Parliamentary Grant. This amount will, in our opinion, suffice for the proper maintenance of that number of beds. Considerable alterations and repairs in the building will however be necessary to fit it for the increased number of inmates. We have had an estimate prepared of the works which appear necessary, which we find may be performed at a cost of about £720. We also consider it desirable that the premises should be lighted with gas. We propose that these works, should they meet with your Excellency's approval, be undertaken by the Board of Public Works, the cost being provided out of the Grant. As a considerable time must elapse before the building and establishment can be adapted for the extended accommodation, we apprehend that the expense can be easily met in the manner proposed, without much delay or inconvenience. The Board of Works should, in like manner, be charged with the future main- tenance of the buildings. We beg leave to suggest the following establishment, viz.:— Two non-resident Surgeons, at salaries of £l00 per annum each, to divide the duties equally between them. One Surgeon-Apothecary, to reside on the premises, with a salary of £75. This officer to act as Registrar, and to be charged with the duty of keeping a correct record of the cases treated in the hospital, from data supplied by the Medical Officers. One Protestant Chaplain. This officer is already provided for by a private bequest for that purpose. One Roman Catholic Chaplain, £50. One Matron at £60, with apartments. One Accountant and Steward, at £40. One Porter, to be provided with a suit of clothes, rations, and apartments, £15. One Cook, with rations and apartment, £10. One Laundress, with rations and apartments, .£10. Five Ward Nurses, at salaries of £L0 each, with rations and apartments. We consider it to be of the highest importance that the Matron and Nurses should be very carefully selected with regard to their intelligence and moral character.