(c) crown copyright
Catalogue Reference:CAB/24/125
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Hospitals.
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Memorandum by t h e M i n i s t e r of Heal tho
i
f r I
i
li
The f i n a n c i a l p o s i t i o n of t h e v o l u n t a r y h o s p i t a l s
became
c r i t i c a l a y e a r a g o , b u t t h e s i t u a t i o n was t h e n s a v e d by n o n ­
r e c u r r e n t g r a n t s of £ 7 0 0 , 0 0 0 from t h e N a t i o n a l R e l i e f
£ 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 from t h e r e s e r v e s of King Edward*s
2.
Fund and
Fund.
p a r l i a m e n t a r y p r e s s u r e l e d to t h e a p p o i n t m e n t i n J a n u a r y of
Lord C a v e s
J
Committee t o I n v e s t i g a t e
hospitals.
t h e p o s i t i o n of
the
The R e p o r t of t h a t Committee w i l l be p u b l i s h e d
this
week.
3.
The s u b s t a n c e of
the R e p o r t i s
t h a t s i n c e 1915 o r d i n a r y
income h a s r i s e n by 67 p e r c e n t and o r d i n a r y e x p e n d i t u r e by 158
per c e n t . , Aggregate d e f i c i t s
f o r 1921 a r e e s t i m a t e d
£ 1 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 ( i n c l u d i n g over £400,000 for
4.
at
Londono
I n t h e C o m m i t t e e s o p i n i o n t h e v a l u e of t h e v o l u n t a r y
system
!
Is i n e s t i m a b l e .
I t preserves
freedom i n m e d i c i n e ;
it
secures
a v a s t amount of g r a t u i t o u s and s k i l l e d s e r v i c e b o t h l a y and
medical;
i t saves
the S t a t e heavy e x p e n d i t u r e .
If
it
is
d e s t r o y e d a c o n s t a n t l y g r o w i n g c h a r g e w i l l f a l l on p u b l i c
5. '
The Committee f i n d
t h a t new s o u r c e s of Income a r e
d e v e l o p e d and t h e y b e l i e v e
o v e r t h e n e x t two y e a r s
6.
that if
the h o s p i t a l s
funds,
being
can be
tided
t h e v o l u n t a r y s y s t e m can be s a v e d . ,
With t h i s o b j e c t t h e y recommend t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t by the
M i n i s t e r of h e a l t h of a H o s p i t a l s
g r a n t of £ 1 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 f o r
sum f o r 1 9 2 2 .
twelve member?.
Commission w i t h an E x c h e q u e r
1921 and a s i m i l a r
The Commission i s
(or p o s s i b l y )
t o c o n s i s t , of n o t more
smaller
then
The Chairman and t h r e e ethers a r e t o be
s e l e c t e d by t h e M i n i s t e r of H e a l t h and one by t h e S e c r e t a r y
for
S c o t l a n d , and of t h e r e m a i n d e r one i s t o b e n o m i n a t e d by e a c h cf
the following bodies:
The J o i n t Committee of t h e &ed C r o s s
S o c i e t y and t h e O r d e r of St., J o h n of J e r u ^ l a m ;
H o s p i t a l Fund f o r London;
King E d w a r d s
1
the British Hospitals
Association;
t h e R o y a l C o l l e g e of P h y s i c i a n s ;
t h e R o y a l C o l l e g e of
Surgeons;
t h e B r i t i s h Medical A s s o c i a t i o n .
The Committee f u r t h e r
recommend
a b u i l d i n g g r a n t , f o r e x t e n s i o n s and i m p r o v e m e n t s , w h i c h t h e y p u t
a t £ 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 f o r t h e p r e s e n t y e a r , t o be s p e n t b y t h e
B
ospitals
C o m m i s s i o n , s u b j e c t t o a n e q u a l c o n t r i b u t i o n b e i n g made from
other sources.
L o c a l V o l u n t a r y H o s p i t a l C o m m i t t e e s a r e t o be
a p p o i n t e d t o a d v i s e t h e Commission,
$o g u a r d a g a i n s t
r e c u r r e n c e of t h e p r e s e n t d i f f i c u l t i e s
a
a i d e d h o s p i t a l s must
adopt
s u c h a d m i n i s t r a t i v e r e f o r m s as t h e H o s p i t a l Commission may r e q u i r e .
The C o m m i t t e e p r o p o s e t h a t S t a t e a s s i s t a n c e
building grants)
s h o u l d ceasa a b s o l u t e l y a f t e r
(except
for
1922,
I h a v e g i v e n a good d e a l of c o n s i d e r a t i o n t o t h e w h o l e
q u e s t i o n of t h e s e v o l u n t a r y h o s p i t a l s and my c o n c l u s i o n s a r e a s
follows
The p r e s e n t p o s i t i o n , e s p e c i a l l y i n L o n d o n , i s
grave.
The London H o s p i t a l h a s c l o s e d 200 beda and Kings
College H o s p i t a l 160,
its
extremely
University College H o s p i t a l has
last realisable assets.
The R o y a l F r e e H o s p i t a l
is
pledged
losing
£800 a w e e k .
The b r e a k d o w n of t h e H o s p i t a l s t o w h i c h t h e g r e a t London
Medical S c h o o l s a r e a t t a c h e d would b e d e p l o r a b l e from a h e a l t h
p o i n t o f view a n d would be f o l l o w e d s o o n e r o r l a t e r b y t h e
c o l l a p s e of t h e v o l u n t a r y s y s t e m .
Such c o l l a p s e o p e n s u p
unknown p o s s i b i l i t i e s - t h e c e r t a i n t y a b o u t i t
is that
the
Government would a t o n c e b e c o n f r o n t e d w i t h t h e w h o l e q u e s t i o n of
h e a l t h a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n t h i s c o u n t r y and i t s r e o r g a n i s a t i o n
and
a v e r y h e a v y l i a b i l i t y would bo t h r o w n on t h e S t a t e .
l i a b i l i t y c a n n o t be t h r o w n on t h e r a t e s b e c a u s e t h e
s e r v i c e s a r e l a r g e l y n a t i o n a l and t h e h o s p i t a l
The
hospital
area md the
rate
a r e a a r e not t h e samo.
At t h e same t i m e t h e v o l u n t a r y s y s t e m c a n n o t
permanently
c l a i m t o h a v e t h e b e s t of b o t h w o r l d s - e i t h e r i t must s t a n d on
i t s own b o t t o m o r I t must be r e p l a c e d b y s o m e t h i n g
The p r e s e n t d i f f i c u l t i e s
of t h e v o l u n t a r y h o s p i t a l s
a b n o r m a l and due g e n e r a l l y t o war c o n d i t i o n s .
Messrs.
P l e n d e r and C o . , t h o a c c o u n t a n t s t o t h e King E d w a r d ' s
Fund., t h e a g g r e g a t e War O f f i c e
alone f e l l
are
The Cave
Committee n o t e e s p e c i a l l y t h a t I n t h e . o p i n i o n of
Deloitte,
else.
payments t o t h e London h o s p i t a l s
s h o r t of t h e t o t a l c o s t of m a i n t a i n i n g and t r e a t i n g
m i l i t a r y p a t i e n t s by £ 5 3 0 , 0 0 0 .
I t I s due t o t h e
voluntary
h o s p i t a l s t h a t t h e y should be t i d e d over t h e p r e s e n t c r i s e s
until
t h e y c a n s e t t h e i r h o u s e i n o r d e r and s t a n d by t h e m s e l v e s .
It
i s good b u s i n e s s , e v e n i n t h e p r e s e n t f i n a n c i a l s t r e s s , t o
help
t h e m from p u b l i c f u n d s t o t i d o o v e r .
The S t a t e h e l p s h o u l d b e
g i v e n t h r o u g h some m a c h i n e r y which w i l l o p e r a t e s o a s t o
t h e n e e d f o r S t a t e h e l p t o a n end a s q u i c k l y a s
For my own p a r t 1 c a n n o t c o n c e i v e t h a t ,
possible.
even i n t h e
p r e s e n t f i n a n c i a l s t r e s s t h e Government c a n m a i n t a i n an
of a l o o f n e s s .
bring
Public opinion i s f u l l y a l i v e t o the
attitude
difficulties
o f t h e h o s p i t a l s and t h e M i n i s t r y i s u n d e r t h e s t r o n g e s t
moat c o n t i n u o u s p r e s s u r e t o i n t e r v e n e , .
and
Even now c a s e s of
grave i l l n e s s demanding i n s t a n t t r e a t m e n t t o save l i f e a r e
t u r n e d away and i f no h e l p i s g i v e n , t h e s e mo3t
being
lamentable'
c o n d i t i o n s w i l l s p r e a d t o a n e x t e n t w h i c h c a n n o t be
estimated.
For t h e s e r e a s o n s * s t r o n g l y u r g e t h e Cabinet t o approve
in
up a
p r i n c i p l e t h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s of t h e Cave Committee a s t o s e t t i n g
ftospit&l
Goran! a s IGK t r i t h L o c a l £ d y l t i o r y G o ^ i t t e e ?
end
providing
a d e f i c i e n c y g r a n t of £ 1 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 f o r t h e p r e s e n t y e a r .
the
Commission i s s e t u p ,
so drawn a s t o s e c u r e t h a t
I will
see t h a t
its
instructions
are
a s s i s t a n c e i s given only where,
w i t h o u t h e l p , t h e f u l l work of a h o s p i t a l ,
Commission a p p r o v e i t ,
fahen
c a n n o t be c a r r i e d
so f a r a s
the
on.
I do n o t ti i n k i t n e c e s s a r y a t p r e s e n t t o form any judgment
a s t o what money w i l l be r e q u i r e d n e x t y e a r and I c o n s i d e r
that
t h e r e c o m m e n d a t i o n a s t o p r o v i d i n g t h i s y e a r a sum of £ 2 5 0 , 0 0 0
f o r b u i l d i n g e x t e n s i o n s and a d d i t i o n s and f u r t h e r
following years should remain in abeyance.
t i m e t o s u r v e y t h e whole q u e s t i o n , o f
accommodation b e f o r e
sums
I r e q u i r e more
p r o v i s i o n of
institutional
coming t o any c o n c l u s i o n a s t o
The o t h e r minor r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s of t h e Committee,
-would r e q u i r e l e g i s l a t i o n ,
in
building.
some of w h i c h
a r e u n d e r my c o n s i d e r a t i o n .
I would add t h a t s p e e d i n d e c i s i o n i s e s s e n t i a l
- the
h o s p i t a l s must know a t once w h e t h e r t h e Government w i l l
help
t h e m , and t h e s i t u a t i o n i s s u c h t h a t t h e Commission w i l l
c e r t a i n l y h a v e t o make a d v a n c e emergency g r a n t s i n
cases.
certain
I t w i l l be u n d e r s t o o d t h a t e v e r y new s u s p e n s i o n of
hospital activities
f o r l a c k of funds makes i t more
t o r e s t o r e t h e p o s i t i o n of t h e v o l u n t a r y s y s t e m ,
and b r i n g s
. n e a r e r t h e r i s k of h e a v y S t a t e e x p e n d i t u r e t o f i l l
w h i c h would b e caused, by i t s
-
\
difficult
t h e gap
failure,
(Bgd) A.Mond.
7.6.SI.
t r y of
Health,