Final report / Voluntary Hospitals Committee.

  • Great Britain. Voluntary Hospitals Committee.
Date:
1921
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Final report / Voluntary Hospitals Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/46 (page 12)
    its control; and for this purpose it would require the assistance _ of bodies formed for those areas and possessed of local knowledge and influence. It appears to us therefore that there should be in each area a Committee or other body to which any application by a hospital to share in the grant should, in the first instance, be made, and which should consider the circumstances of the applicants and the conditions which should accompany the grant, and should report to the Hospital Commission. The Commission would make no grant (save in urgent and exceptional cases) except upon the recommendation of the local committee. 19. So far as the London area is concerned, the necessary organisation exists in the King Edward Hospital Fund for London, which has already performed admirable work in the organisation of the London hospital system; and we believe that the Fund would be willing to undertake the additional responsibility of receiving and reporting upon the applications arising in that area. 20. With regard to England and Wales outside the London. area and to Scotland, we think it clear that a single authority would not be appropriate for the purpose now in hand. The ground to be covered is too extensive, and a single authority would find it difficult to obtain that local interest and co-operation which is necessary for success. The Regional Committees of the British Hospitals Association are unsuitable for the same reason, and also because being constituted of representatives of the hos- pitals they would find a difficulty in enforcing their views upon their constituent members. It appears to us that normally the unit should be the County or County Borough; but in many cases it might be desirable that a county borough should be grouped with the surrounding districts, or that particular counties should be grouped or divided. There should be formed in each County, County Borough or other selected area, a Voluntary Hospitals Committee for the purposes here mentioned ; and in order to secure uniformity and prevent overlaping the constitution of each Committee should be subject to approval by the Hospitals Commission. A Committee should be consti- tuted of nine or more persons of ability and local influence representing all classes of the community, and should be nominated. by the Lord Lieutenant, with whom might be associated, in the case of a County the chairman of the County Council, and in the case of a County Borough the Lord Mayor or Mayor, as the case might be. A Voluntary Hospitals Committee would have no compulsory powers, but would derive authority from its. personnel and from its functions in relation to the grants here recommended. Its expenses, which would not be large, might be provided locally; but we think that public interest would be stimulated if power were given to the County Councils to con- tribute towards these expenses. 21. The formation of local committees is desirable quite apart from present circumstances, and we hope that they would