Annual report : 1936 / Royal Cornwall Infirmary.

  • Royal Cornwall Infirmary.
Date:
1936
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report : 1936 / Royal Cornwall Infirmary. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/62 page 6
    of six shillings a week. A useful rule was that ‘ no chaise, horse or cart bringing a patient to the Infirmary may return until it be known whether such patient can be admitted.’ Anyone recommending a patient must promise to defray the expenses of burial. In-patients were not to swear, behave rudely, or play at cards or dice, and on their discharge were to return thanks in their own parish Church. At the Annual Court a sermon was to be preached to the Governors and a collection made for the use of the charity. The Hospital continued to do good work, and in 1847 an ophthalmic department was started; and in 1854/1,200 was spent on improvements. In 1865 the number of patients treated was 406, and the beds were increased to 6c. In 1868 a north wing, and in 1887 a west wing, were built. In 1900 the oper¬ ating theatre was reconstructed, and in 1905 /i,ooo raised by the Hon. John Boscawen was spent on improvements. In 1905 private wards were initiated. In 1908 an X-ray department was started, and in 1911 /1,60c (raised by Col. the Hon. H. W. F. Trefusis (then President) was spent on improving the nursing staff quarters and ophthalmic departments. During the Great War 50 beds were reserved for wounded soldiers, and after the War the Red Cross Society granted ^4,500 to the Infirmary for improvements, and the Governors, under the presidency of the late Mr. Powys Rogers, collected and spent/17,000 on renovating the Hospital. In 1919 the Hospital was recognised as a Training School for Nurses, and probationers were enabled in their four years’ course to complete their training. In 1924 there were 70 beds, the number of patients admitted was 807, and a children’s ward was added. The yearly expenditure was now /6,ooot double that in 1912. It was therefore necessary to ask patients to contribute to meet the extra cost, but all necessitous cases received careful consideration. The cost per bed was /2 12s. od. per week. The income was raised by subscriptions, £185 ; collections and donations, /i,8oo; investment, /i,ioo ; and patients contribu¬ tions, /i,5oo. The Hospital Saving Association proved to be a valuable source of income later on. The work and responsibility of the medical and surgical staff rapidly increased. Cases were treated from all over Cornwall, and although smaller local Hospitals had been started in the County, the valuable facilities offered by the larger Plospital led to a continued increase in the number of surgical cases admitted.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3