| Description | The Infirmaries committee replaced the Workhouse Infirmary Management committee, in the wake of the 1912 amalgamation of the Aston, Birmingham and King's Norton Unions. Consisting of 22 Guardians, the committee continued to oversee all general aspects of the administration of the infirmaries, such as rates of pay and conditions for staff, and wider issues relating to patient care. The more day-to-day tasks specific to each infirmary, including the appointment of staff, and cases relating to individual patients, were the responsibility of the three sub-committees, for the institutions at Dudley Road, Erdington and Selly Oak (see GP B/2/4/9, GP B/2/4/10 and GP B/2/4/11, below).
In September 1914, the Guardians leased premises in Wassell Grove, close to Hagley Road. These were furnished for use as a convalescent home by patients with long-term illnesses. The administration of the home was handled by the newly formed Convalescent Home sub-committee, which reported directly back to the Infirmaries committee. The minutes of this committee for the period 1914-1917 are included in GP B/2/4/8/2, below, after which point a separate Convalescent Home committee was created (see GP B/2/4/12, below).
In April 1920, the Board of Guardians accepted a recommendation from the Advisory committee (see GP B/2/8/2 for minutes of the General Purposes and Advisory committee), viz. 'that the name of the Infirmaries committee be altered to the 'Hospitals committee,' and that the institutions under the control of that committee be called 'Hospitals' instead of Infirmaries.' (see GP B/2/1/89) The change of name is reflected in the committee minutes, (see GP/2/4/8/5, below) but no changes to the committee's powers or duties appear to have taken place.
The volumes contain detailed information on all subjects relating to the administration of the infirmaries and hospitals. Also included are copies of the printed reports submitted to the Infirmary/Hospitals committee by the individual sub-committees responsible for the infirmaries, hospitals and convalescent home. Unless stated otherwise, the volumes are not indexed. |