Alterations to the rules at the hospital, was the main none medical issue of 1907. Several complaints had been made regarding the patient families or friends bringing food into the wards. As a temporary measure any food brought into hospital had an orange sticker placed onto it as confirmation that it was patients food. This was only a temporary measure until the complaint could be passed onto the hospital committee. At the next hospital committee this issue as well as others were discussed, and a new set of rules were laid out for the hospital. 1) The committee would not allow family or friends to bring any articles of food of any description for the following reasons:- a) That it would lead to favouritism. b) It encouraged the patients friends to compete with each other in bringing presents for patients. c) It encouraged visiting, a practice not always desirable. It was also recommended that a notice board be placed on the front gate, stating the day and hour for visiting, and the hours in which inquiries could be made at the porters lodge with regard to the health of any patients. This board contained information that no child under the age of 16 years be allowed under any circumstances inside the hospital gate. This information was passed onto patients on leaving the hospital. The corporation cannot accept responsibility or liability for the outbreak of infection incurred by any companion person recently discharged from the hospital.
The rules on visiting patients also changed, the alterations to the rules were as
follows. It was felt desirable to issue visiting cards, stating the rules, which friends
of patients must comply and it was suggested the following should be printed on each. 1)
Only the nearest relatives of the patients are allowed to visit the hospital on Sunday
mornings between 9.30 - 11.30 am. 2) Only two persons will be allowed to enter the ground
with this ticket, and under no circumstances will admission be granted without its
production it must be produced on each occasion of visiting. 3) Children under 16 years of
age are not allowed to visit the adult wards. 4) Visitors are not allowed to roam about
the grounds but must confirm their movements when away from the wards. 5) This ticket must
be delivered up to the Matron at the patient discharge. These alterations to the rules
worked very amicably, during the first year there had been no complaints about the
management or the rules at the hospital.
Alterations to the rules occurred again in the leap year of 1908 after two of the nursing staff became ill with scarlet fever. The nurses were nursed in the hospital for a total of 40 and 42 days before being discharged and returning to duty around the same time the average stay for patients was 86 days.
With another outbreak of enteric fever in the borough, the hospital committee with medical advice sent out a list of instructions to nurses, attendants and visitors of patients. 1) Everyone passing from one pavilion to another should immediately put on a button up wrap before entering the ward. 2) Everyone from nurses, officers, servants, ward-maid, or visitors, on entering and leaving the pavilion, should wash their hands in a disinfectant solution. Then wash them again, carefully using special soap and a nail-brush. This rule needed to be especially observed by ward staff before going to the administration block for their own meals or for patient's food. 3) As it was feared that the infection could be caught by breath. Nurses and others were encouraged to take extreme care against taking unnecessary risks. As far as possible they should avoid inhaling the foul air from beneath the bedclothes, or from the patient’s breath. Anyone dealing with the patients was advised to keep their finger nails short and smooth so to lessen the probability of holding infection. Family or friends on no account were allowed to kiss the sick patient or even sit on the bed. 4) Any dirty water from bathing or washing should without delay be disinfected and emptied down the drain. Also any stools, urine, sputum, vomit or any other discharges, should be disinfected and disposed of immediately. 5) Every nurse, after she had handled a patient's bed-pan should immediately close the opening of the pan with an earthenware lid, then cover the whole pan with a carbolic cloth before removing it from the wards. 6) After completing the above shall at once wash and disinfect the bed-pan and hands. 7) All plates, knives, forks, cups, spoons, feeders, etc must at once be crockery steam washed. 8) Any ward duster, soiled rags, sweepers, or any other combustible refuse are to be burnt. 9) Nurses and other staff required to keep to the strictest cleanliness, everywhere in the provision, and especially in respect of any food or milk. 10) Flies are a common cause of spreading enteric fever, so all the nurses were requested to do all they could to exclude flies from the wards. In the warm weather all articles of food including liquid were covered with gauze or other materials. The nurse in charge had the responsibility of ensuring all soiled or dirty linen, towels, handkerchiefs, etc., were placed in the linen trunk and immediately removed from the ward, this would stop any flies having any access to them.
© Neil and Janet Croft 2005