Sixth report from the Select Committee on Estimates : together with the minutes of evidence taken before sub-committee D and appendices, session 1956-1957: Running costs of hospitals.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Estimates
Date:
[1957]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sixth report from the Select Committee on Estimates : together with the minutes of evidence taken before sub-committee D and appendices, session 1956-1957: Running costs of hospitals. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    116/448 page 94
    26 February, 1957.] [Continued. (5) A description of any significant reductions in current expenditure in recent years In a period of expanding services and rising prices it would have been impossible to show significant absolute reductions in expenditure under any heads. On the other hand, it can be claimed that in the Oxford region there has been an important move towards increasing and improving services without any corresponding increase in real cost. The Board have been devoting considerable attention to the study of the trend of costs in relation to services rendered. As an illustration of this two graphs are attached. While the illustrations attached are concerned with the factors of major importance, there have at the same time been a series of efforts made to reduce costs under specific heads. The following may be quoted as examples : — Salaries—Nursing : Re-allocation of spells of duty has achieved the following : — (a) at a mental hospital a reduction of overtime worked by nurses; and (5) at a general hospital the opening of an additional 25 beds without increase of nursing staff. Salaries—Other Staff : Disposal of surplus land and closing of uneconomical market gardens have reduced staff requirements. Improvements to boiler house equipment including the installation of mechanical stokers and oil firing. Provisions : The continuous process of examining “cost per person fed” has led to econo- mies of several thousands of pounds per annum. Drugs: Improved purchasing arrangements and stricter control of issues following the Board’s appeal for economy to medical staff. Fuel and Laundry : Pipe lagging and improved equipment have resulted in better heating, whilst the installation of washing machines and the setting up of group laundries has done much to reduce reliance on outside contractors and therefore to reduce costs. Other expenditure : (a) Stricter control of the use of hospital transport. . (b) Installation of automatic telephone exchanges in place of manual ones. (6) What major increases in the staff establishments of Hospital Management Committees nave there been in recent years? To assist in answering this question the table below shows the total approved manpower figures for all Hospital Management Committees in the Region as at the 5th December, 1952, and as at the 31st December in each subsequent year. Totals are shown in respect of each of the Categories. of staff recognised by the Ministry for control of manpower purposes. These are :— Category B. Junior Medical and Dental. Category C. Nursing and Midwifery. Category D. Other staff (excluding Administrative and Clerical). Administrative and Clerical.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3