Report of the committee appointed to inquire into out-patient methods at London voluntary hospitals as affecting suitability of patients and time of waiting
The Committee was appointed to enquire into and report upon methods in use in London Voluntary Hospitals regarding the attendance of patients in outpatient and casualty departments, and the effect of those methods upon the suitability of the patients treated and on the length of time during which patients wait before or after treatment; and to make such recommendations thereon as seem to them desirable. The question of suitability falls into two categories: medical suitability and financial suitability (depending not only on the financial circumstances of the patient, but also on the cost of diagnosis or treatment required). Similarly, the time spent by an outpatient at hospital falls into two categories: the time spent in receiving attention at one or other of the stages of procedure; and the time spent in waiting between one stage and the next.