NURSES' HOURS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 260, 30 July 1919, Page 8

NURSES' HOURS

A TIMELY INQUIRY

COMPARISON BETWEEN WELLINGTON

AND LONDON HOiPtTALi

"April 16, 1919,

"Dear Sir,—lt has been gleaned irom the Press in this Dominion that on February 20 last there appeared in the London "Times" an article dealing with nurses and the hours they worked, and reference is made in the local article to the great improvement tho alterations made in London hospital has teen, and the benefit to tho nursing staff. As my board is desirous of studying the interest, health, and comfort of its nurses to the utmost, it will be exceedingly obliged if you will kindly furnish it with a copy of your regulations in this regard, which we trust will give the number of hours worked, leave, and similar regulations. Thanking you in anticipation for your courtesy in this matter—fours faithiully (Signed) S. liobinson, acting-secretary. "To tho medical offi'.K.'i' in charge— "•'Charing Cross Hospital, "St. Mary's Hospital, "St. Bartnolomew's Hospital, "Middlesex Hospital, "Guy's Hospital.'' The above is tne copy.of a letter forwarded by the acting-secretary of the Wellington. Hospital Board (Mr. S. liobinson) at the instigation of the late chairman (Mr. H. Baldwin), who was very much interested in staff conditions, anu was actuated by a desire to learn exactly how the nurses of London hospitals fared with respect to hours of employment. Mr. Baldwin 6aid that ha haa always been sympathetic, Out in an institution where probationers were trained (and were granted certificates on that training) it was recognised that they must be under some sort of discipline, as in addition to their .practical training iu the wards, they must devote time to 6tudy, as every student in any proiession had to .do in order to become proficient. One trouble was that so many people regarded all nurses in uniform at the Hospital as the finished product, when they were, in many cases, joung ladies learning a business—they were apprentices to a profession honoured the world over. It is interesting to record that several replies have been received from London in answer to tne late chairman'* inquiry for information, and it may concern those who havo sought to create a controversy on the subject of nurses' hours to know how our probationers and nurses fare beside their sisters in the Loudon hospitals. .To show this clearly it must first of all be stated that the hours of nurses in the Wellington Hospital are worked out on tho basis of an eight-hour shift, whereas in London the" basis is a twelvehour shift. In the Wellington Hospital tho shifts are from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; and 10 p.m. to B a.m. , In addition, probationers and nurses have to devote one hour to study on five days of the week for eight months during the year. There is Ao recognised half-holiday and no Sundays off, but it will be seen that those who are on duty from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. are always free ior tne afternoon and evening, and the shifts work round, so that each nurse has her turn at the three duty periods. From the eight hours duty one hour for tueal-time lias to be deducted, so that the weekly duty amounts to -19 hours. Tile Loudon correspondence discloses that at the Charing Cross .Hospital, the day's work is irom 7.30 a.m. to noon, 12.45 p.m. to i p.m., and from -1.80 p.m. to 8.16 p.m. -(with another shitt to. carry on through tho night). The periods mentioned total lit hours, but a note below the printed table setting forth the abovo particulars states that each nurse is allowed two hours off daily, which brings her working day down to 1)1 hours on tix days of tho week, or a. weekly total 0f.'57 hours.

At Guy's Hospital—also worked on the basis of the twelve-hour shifts—the day shift commences at S a.m. From that hour the nurses on duty work until 11.30 p.m., from 12.15 p.m. to 5 p.m., and from 5.30 p.m. to 9 p.m.—or 113 hours a day. But from that has to be deducted 25 hours a week, which brings the actual working week down to 57 hours. The secretary of the Middlesex Hospital merely replied that the working hours for nurses totalled 5G_ per week, with a half-day off every weeX. The hours for nurses at St. Bartholomew's Hospital are from 7 a.m. to noon and from 12.30 to 8 p.m.—a day of Yl\ hours. . Nurses aro allowed ?2J tiours off p.'..-' week, which make their weekly work lime U5 hours.

Mr. F. Castle (chairman of the Hospital BoardJ, who made these figures available, said that the information obtained through the acumen of Mr. Baldwin was very .interesting and valuable, and he. was glad to know that on the score of hours of employment the nurss* in the Wellington Hospital were faring considerably better than were those employed in the London hospitals mentioned. He also mentioned that the Sisters at the Wellington Hospital were entitled to a half-day per week.