XN000022-1987-04-01 — Page 13

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1987

ONCE THE MAJOR ISSUES RELATING TO THE MANAGEMENT OF VIT HOSPITAL SYSTEM HAD BEEN RESOLVED, HE SAID THERE SHOULD LEA REVIEW ON THE WHOLE QUESTION OF PRIMARY CARE INCLUDING IMPROVEME :! OF MEDICAL RECORDS, DOCTOR/PATIENT RELATIONSHIPS, POST-GRADUATE TRAINING AND THE POSSIBILITY OF ADOPTING THE SYSTEM OF FAMILY MEDICAL CARE.

ON THE STAFFING SITUATION FOR ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS IN HOSPITALS, MR CHAMBERS SAID THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAD ADVISED THAT THE DOCTOR IN CHARGE SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST FIVE YEARS' EXPERIENCE IN HOSPITAL PRACTICE AND THIS WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED AS SOON AS MANPOWER RESOURCES PERMITTED.

MR CHAMBERS ALSO POINTED OUT THAT A SIMPLISTIC COMPARISON OF THE LEVEL OF FUNDING OF THE TWO TYPES OF PUBLIC HOSPITAL COULD BE MISLEAD ING.

+GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS, PARTICULARLY THE BIG REGIONAL HOSPITALS, ARE GENERALLY EQUIPPED AND STAFFED TO HANDLE THE MORE DIVERSE COMPLEX AND ACUTE CASES WHILE SUBVENTED HOSPITALS NORMALLY CATER FOR LESS ACUTE OR CONVALESCENT CASES, WHICH DO NOT REQUIRE THE SAME LEVEL OF STAFFING OR EQUIPMENT. +

HE ADDED THAT MAJOR DEVLOPMENT OR REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WERE IN HAND FOR MANY SUBVENTED HOSPITALS, WHICH WHEN COMPLETED WOULD RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT UPGRADING OF THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDED.

TURNING TO SOCIAL WELFARE, MR CHAMBERS DISPELLED THE FEAR EXPRESSED BY SOME MEMBERS THAT LIMITED PROVISION HAD BEEN MADE FOR IMPROVING THE STANDARD OF WELFARE SERVICES AND THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE MIGHT BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED.

HE POINTED OUT THAT ABOUT $20 MILLION HAD BEEN SET ASIDE FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF EXISTING SERVICES AND ABOUT $25 MILLION FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW SERVICES.

+THESE FUNDS WILL ENABLE ADDITIONAL STAFF TO BE EMPLOYED TO REDUCE THE CASELOAD OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN FAMILY SERVICE CENTRES, IN THE MEDICAL SOCIAL SERVICE AND IN SOCIAL SECURITY FIELD UNITS, +

+THERE ARE ALSO PLANS TO INTRODUCE IMPROVEMENTS IN OTHER AREAS OF SOCIAL SERVICES SUCH AS HOSTELS FOR THE ELDERLY, COMMUNITY CENTRES AND CHILDREN'S HOMES, HE SAID.

REFERRING TO RECEIPTS FROM THE LOTTERIES FUND, HE SAID HE WOULD BE WATCHING THE SITUATION VERY CAREFULLY AND WOULD TAKE ACTION IT THERE APPEARED TO BE A RISK THAT THE FUND WAS FALLING DANGEROUSLY LOW.

/ON THE