HOSPITAL AFFAIRS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 238, 15 November 1940, Page 5

HOSPITAL AFFAIRS

BAY OF PLENTY BOARD MEETS

QUESTION OF RATING AS TRAIN

ING SCHOOL

The Bay of Plenty Hospital Board met yesterday, Mr J. W. Sumner, presiding over Messrs R.. W. Scho/ield, L. Buddie, F. J. Burt, G. A. Suckling, Mrs W. McCracken, the Secretary, Mr A. Bridger and the Medical Superintendent, Dr E. Tewsley Daw so Hi

Further discussion on the board's application lor the hospital's classification as a 'B' training school was provoked when a letter from the Director-General of Health, enclosing a copy of the report made, by Nurse-Instructor A. J. Moore, was tabled.

Miss Moore, in her report, detailed the reasons why the hospital could not be classed as a training school, and the reasons were many. So many that one member of the board was moved to observe: "Apparently there is not much right with the hospital."

Dr Dawson said it seemed as [ though the authorities were confused on the point and were under the impression that the application concerned the training of nursing aides. For the training of nurses only two of the objections were sound, those which referred to the absence of a lecture room and the fact that the Nurses' Home had only the one sitting room for the general staff, it being the idea of the Department that senior nurses and probationer nurses should not use a common room. The Advantages. The Medical Superintendent said the main advantage of having the hospital classed as a 'B' training school was that it wotild assist in keeping the staff, as nurses would not require to transfer to classed hospitals for at least" two years, this two years counting as fifteen months spent in an 'A' Grade training school. The nine months difference was offset by the fact thai; trainees could be taken in at an earlier age. At the present time, a girl leaving school at the of sixteen or seventeen had to fill in that period before she reached the age of nineteen years,. The classification of the hospital as a 'B' train ing school would bridge that gap.

Mr Suckling said the position should be investigated whether the

requirements of the Department, as embodied in Miss Moore's *■ report; could be met without -any substantial expenditure. *

It was decided to reply to the letter stating that the Board was investigating the matter.