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Social History of Medicine 2006 19(2):279-293; doi:10.1093/shm/hkl004
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for the Social History of Medicine. All rights reserved

The Surveys of the Birmingham Chronic Sick Hospitals, 1948–1960s

Michael Denham*

* Honorary Research Fellow, The Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 210 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK. E-mail: ucgamjd{at}ucl.ac.uk

The Birmingham chronic sick hospitals surveys were used by physicians as a tool to assess future regional bed requirements and to identify facilities needed by patients who might be more satisfactorily managed outside a hospital. Four positive results followed. First, no extra beds would be needed because only about one half of all in-patients required hospital care. The second result was improved education for medical students and junior medical staff regarding the problems of old age. Third, more regional consultant geriatricians were appointed. Finally, the Regional Hospital Board (RHB) decided to build modern long-stay units for elderly in-patients. The surveys also revealed poor quality housing, and lack of domestic support in patients' homes. The Birmingham City authority was well aware of its gigantic post-war re-housing tasks. Some 50,000 homes had been declared unfit. However, by the early 1950s new houses were being built and more home helps recruited.

Keywords: chronic sick; in-patient surveys; bed blocking; community services


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