Annual report of the St. Lawrence's Hospital Management Committee : 1949 / St. Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin, Cornwall.

St. Lawrence's Hospital

Date:: 1949

Credit: Annual report of the St. Lawrence's Hospital Management Committee : 1949 / St. Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin, Cornwall. Source: Wellcome Collection.

19/24 page 17

$We are told that the structure is such that windows would be difficult to put in but we feel that they are essential. The Canteens are well stocked and popular ; that on the Female side is to be re-decorated and re-furnished and like that in the Male side will then make a pleasant cafe for use on visiting Days by patients and their friends. Canteen Vouchers to the value of 1 /3d are now issued weekly to all workers. Dinner to-day consisted of hot meat roll, cabbage and potatoes and bread with stewed apples and custard as pudding. It seemed an excellent meal. The draw back to it was the fact that it had to be served on cold plates. We were sorry to learn that the urgent need for economy has resulted in the elimination of a sum of £700 from the estimates which would have provided each ward kitchen to have a plate warming apparatus. The patients in residence to-day number 1168 (519 M., 649 W.). Of these 196 are Voluntary and two are Temporary Patients. Twenty-nine patients (9 M., 20 W.) rank as Private Patients paying the full cost of accommodation and services. During 1948 there were 499 (211 M., 288 W.) direct admissions. As many as 311 of these were Voluntary and 3 were Temporary Admissions. In the same period there were 377 Departures or Discharges of whom 47 were regarded as Recoveries. The present staff of nurses consists of 87 male and 59 full-time and 19 Part-time Female Nurses. Eleven men and 9 women are always on duty each night. Forty-seven of the men and 19 of the Women are certificated or registered as Mental Nurses. The Mortality rate in this Hospital continues to be rather higher than the average for all the Mental Hospitals of England and Wales being 9.8% in 1948. In that year 114 patients died (44 M., 70 W.). Since the last visit 16 fractures have been recorded and 1 Inquest has been held. At the moment 7 men and 4 women are regarded as Tuberculous All of them are being nursed on verandahs in satisfactory conditions although the Male Verandah is not ideal. In 1948 there were 7 deaths from this complaint and 11 new cases were notified. Dysentery is endemic here. In 1948 27 cases were notified and there is one active at the moment and there are a considerable number of carriers. In this period there were 5 new cases of Enteric and again there are carriers in the Hospital. These patients are properly segregated and Pathological investigation is thorough and continuous. Well over a thousand examinations are made every month and by these means a bacteriological check is made on every patient in the hospital every month. The Infirmary Wards are satisfactory and it was gratifying to find very few patients in bed in these wards or elsewhere. A Sluice Room is being made off the Male Infirmary Ward, and we suggested that a hand basin with hot and cold water be fitted in the dormitory at the same time. This should also be done in the Female Infirmary Ward.$

Annual report of the St. Lawrence's Hospital Management Committee : 1949 / St. Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin, Cornwall.

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