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Leicestershire county isolation hospital scheme
I92I.
PUBLIC, Hi~AL~OPL
favour the activities of voluntary workers and societies, and the new and extraordinary policy has been adopted of direct subsidy from the Ministry to local voluntary societies without any reference to the public authority of the area. In this way, undoubtedly, a large sum of money is being expended without adequate public control, and without corresponding public advantages. Public health work based on voiuntary workers and societies is usually of a make-believe character, and has other unsatisfactory features which are recognised by most medical officers of experience, and the expenditure of the same amount of public money in the usual official channels usually produces infinitely better results. The recommendation of the voluntary agency, however, has a suitable place in this " economy " circular, as such agencies have always been beloved by the less progressive local authorities. LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY ISOLATION HOSPITAL SCHEME. An o r d e r h a s been issued by the L e i c e s t e r shire C o u n t y Council, u n d e r the Isolation H o s p i t a l s Acts, 1893 and 1901, c o n s t i t u t i n g the A d m i n i s t r a t i v e C o u n t y of L e i c e s t e r a hospital District. T h i s o r d e r f o r m s the whole of the the u r b a n a n d rural districts, and the one b o r o u g h of the c o u n t y into one isolation hospital district for the isolation of all diseases except small-pox. T h e s a m e c o m b i n a t i o n of districts was m a d e for the isolation of small-pox s o m e 20 y e a r s ago, with a differently c o n s t i t u t e d c o m m i t t e e . T h e r e is little doubt t h a t a similar a r r a n g e m e n t in practically all c o u n t y a r e a s would result in a g r e a t i m p r o v e m e n t in the isolation provision. B y pooling all the p r e s e n t isolation hospital a c c o m m o d a t i o n in this way, considerable e c o n o m y can be effected, and a uniformity of a d m i n i s t r a t i o n can be a t t a i n e d which is possible in no o t h e r way. P r o b a b l y all c o u n t y medical officers would be interested to read the o r d e r issued by the L e i c e s t e r s h i r e C o u n t y Council. In the next column we publish an article on the present position of the salaries question, written at the s0ecial request of the Council by Dr. Buchan, Chairman of the Salaries Sub-Committee of the Council, which will be of interest to every medical officer.
SALARIES
9~ tN THE PUBLIC SERVICE.
HEALTH
The Special Committee of the Society on the Remuneration of Medical Officers of Local Authorities is still in constant session, and hopes soon to be able to report that everything is in order for launching the campaign for the improvement of salaries of Medical Officers of Local Authorities. The work is arduous and takes time, but those who are anxious to achieve results quickly may be assured that every member of the Special Committee, individually and collectively, are doing all that can be done to hasten forward the work. The Salary Scales adopted by the Council of the Society on the 24th September, 1920, for submission to the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Administrative, Technicaland Clerical Services were subsequently approved Dy the Conjoint Committee of the Society and British Medical Association and the representatives of the British Medical Associ. ation further m~dertook to give any support within the power of the Association to the Society of Medical Officers of Health in putting forward their claim through the National Association of Local Government Officers to the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Administrative, Technical and Clerical Services for the scale approved by the Council of the Society on the 24th September, 1920. The scale has now been submitted to the National Association of Local Government Officers which body is in process of co-ordinating the scales of salaries of all Local Government Officers so that they may be presented to the National Joint Council on a uniform basis. The Chairman of the Special Committee of the Society is o n this Co-ordination Committee and reports that the committee is making good progress with their work, which, having regard to the number and variety of officers employed by local authorities is not easy. The rate at which progress towards decisions might be made is further reduced because the whole question of Whitleyism as applied to the Local Government Services is on trial and local authorities are doing their best to back out of the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Administrative, Technical and Clerical Services, which was set up originally at the instance of the Ministry of Labour. This is not because of any fault that local authorities have to find with the principles of Whitleyism, but simply because they are faced with an unanswerable case from Local
PUBLIC, Hi~AL~OPL
favour the activities of voluntary workers and societies, and the new and extraordinary policy has been adopted of direct subsidy from the Ministry to local voluntary societies without any reference to the public authority of the area. In this way, undoubtedly, a large sum of money is being expended without adequate public control, and without corresponding public advantages. Public health work based on voiuntary workers and societies is usually of a make-believe character, and has other unsatisfactory features which are recognised by most medical officers of experience, and the expenditure of the same amount of public money in the usual official channels usually produces infinitely better results. The recommendation of the voluntary agency, however, has a suitable place in this " economy " circular, as such agencies have always been beloved by the less progressive local authorities. LEICESTERSHIRE COUNTY ISOLATION HOSPITAL SCHEME. An o r d e r h a s been issued by the L e i c e s t e r shire C o u n t y Council, u n d e r the Isolation H o s p i t a l s Acts, 1893 and 1901, c o n s t i t u t i n g the A d m i n i s t r a t i v e C o u n t y of L e i c e s t e r a hospital District. T h i s o r d e r f o r m s the whole of the the u r b a n a n d rural districts, and the one b o r o u g h of the c o u n t y into one isolation hospital district for the isolation of all diseases except small-pox. T h e s a m e c o m b i n a t i o n of districts was m a d e for the isolation of small-pox s o m e 20 y e a r s ago, with a differently c o n s t i t u t e d c o m m i t t e e . T h e r e is little doubt t h a t a similar a r r a n g e m e n t in practically all c o u n t y a r e a s would result in a g r e a t i m p r o v e m e n t in the isolation provision. B y pooling all the p r e s e n t isolation hospital a c c o m m o d a t i o n in this way, considerable e c o n o m y can be effected, and a uniformity of a d m i n i s t r a t i o n can be a t t a i n e d which is possible in no o t h e r way. P r o b a b l y all c o u n t y medical officers would be interested to read the o r d e r issued by the L e i c e s t e r s h i r e C o u n t y Council. In the next column we publish an article on the present position of the salaries question, written at the s0ecial request of the Council by Dr. Buchan, Chairman of the Salaries Sub-Committee of the Council, which will be of interest to every medical officer.
SALARIES
9~ tN THE PUBLIC SERVICE.
HEALTH
The Special Committee of the Society on the Remuneration of Medical Officers of Local Authorities is still in constant session, and hopes soon to be able to report that everything is in order for launching the campaign for the improvement of salaries of Medical Officers of Local Authorities. The work is arduous and takes time, but those who are anxious to achieve results quickly may be assured that every member of the Special Committee, individually and collectively, are doing all that can be done to hasten forward the work. The Salary Scales adopted by the Council of the Society on the 24th September, 1920, for submission to the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Administrative, Technicaland Clerical Services were subsequently approved Dy the Conjoint Committee of the Society and British Medical Association and the representatives of the British Medical Associ. ation further m~dertook to give any support within the power of the Association to the Society of Medical Officers of Health in putting forward their claim through the National Association of Local Government Officers to the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Administrative, Technical and Clerical Services for the scale approved by the Council of the Society on the 24th September, 1920. The scale has now been submitted to the National Association of Local Government Officers which body is in process of co-ordinating the scales of salaries of all Local Government Officers so that they may be presented to the National Joint Council on a uniform basis. The Chairman of the Special Committee of the Society is o n this Co-ordination Committee and reports that the committee is making good progress with their work, which, having regard to the number and variety of officers employed by local authorities is not easy. The rate at which progress towards decisions might be made is further reduced because the whole question of Whitleyism as applied to the Local Government Services is on trial and local authorities are doing their best to back out of the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Administrative, Technical and Clerical Services, which was set up originally at the instance of the Ministry of Labour. This is not because of any fault that local authorities have to find with the principles of Whitleyism, but simply because they are faced with an unanswerable case from Local