SHORTAGE OF HOSPITAL NURSES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 60, 4 December 1920, Page 11

SHORTAGE OF HOSPITAL NURSES

Sir,—l have read the remark? of Mr. Castle, chairman of tho Wellington Hospital Board, with much pleasure, because it shows that while he feels compelled to put up what defence he can for conditions that he and the present board are probably no-t responsible for, he is inclined towards reasonable reform, and if hospital boards generally would approach the question in the same spirit, reforms would speedily be accomplished. Unfortunately it is members of Mr. Chaoman's aud the Rev. van Staveren's typo, of whom I regret to say there are too many, who by their obstinate refusal to admit facts, block progress and consider that personal abuse of fair-minded critics is an answer to their criticism.

Mr. Castle must have misunderstood my letter, if he thinks I implied that there should be no discipline. My statement was that in many cases the discipline .demanded was unsuitable, and if, a» 1 understand Sir. Castle to Bay, it is the rule in the Wellington Hospital that the matron must know where the nurses are during their leisure and recreation hours, X am of opinion ifaat my remarks re unsuitable discipline apply to that institution, though they were in no swise aimed at it, and which I am quite willing to believe on Mr. Castle's assertion is more advanced in its treatment of its nursos than some others. Does Mr. Castle seriously contend that it is necessary for the matron to know in each .case where her nurses are when they are off duty? Siirely such a. rule savours of the boarding schrfol discipline I mentioned, and can only be irritating and ineffectual in dealing with a. staff of responsible nurses; irritating- because unnecessary, to nearly all, ineffectual because easily evaded by the very few, if any, to whom it might usefully apply, the fact being that any young woman requiring sucji eagle-eyed supervision will never make a good nurse. As for the rest, I quito asree with Mr. C-astle. that the unsound policy of the past, for which he and his board are probably not in any., way responsible, has created great difficulties now, and that emotion, particularly the emotion of foolish anger, as displayed at tho _ last _ board meeting' by certain members, 33 not going Mr. Castle is wring if he thinks that eight hours on duty means much standin" by." It-' is eight hours', hard work, as°Mr. Castle's aching feet would .Boon convince him if he were to do a lull duty in the wards himself. I hope* that Mr. Castle will not let the alleged fact, that conditions in England aro worse, uo an excuso for'not attempting to remedy bad conditions here. Is the tact that tlio pot is black any reason for not cleaning tl! I do'not claim that my suggestions for relieving- the present conditions are tho best possible (T shall only be too pleased if better can be found), or that they or 'any other can be acceptod without full consideration, or applied without reorganisation involving not a, little trouble. All I can liopo for is that they, cr some better-'scheme for relieving the serious impasse,'will be adopted, and that matters., 3Vill not ,'J>e' allowed to drift. .If there, is ,no . beginning in' reform there, can be no progress, and I am quite in accord with Mr. Castle that drastic changes cannot bo offected suddenly, but if boards are going to wait for more probationers to enrol before remedying the evils which have been, and still are, preventing tlicin from enrolling, then it seems yc-rv like crying for tho moon. Such a display of emotion appears to mo unseemly to the dignified members of our hospital boards, besides being unlikely to attain its object. Surely the organising ability of the board and its advisers is not so meagro they cannot give trial to the plan of allowing somo of the new probationers to live at home and come daily to their work. If such a plan only temporarily relieved the situation until the Nurses' Home ooukl bp. enlarged it would prove somo relief, and possibly onable the 25 new probationers to be enrolled at once, and if tho board can persuade tlie Minister of HealiQi to grant that any probationer showing froja one to three wort in any registered private hospital or similar uncompleted time in any othor public hospital, shall be' allowed two-thirds of that timo to count as training time when it comes to the examination for registration, I think Mr. Castle would speedily get his necessary quota of 25 probation ere, and among them many experienced nurses. But not at .£3O for 343 consecutive eight-hour working days, plus study hours and minus fines for breakages, etc., an average of Is. !)d. por day! And if in many cases residence at.home is difficult or impossible, is it beyond the ability of the board to find or create facilities .for temporarily liousing some of the 25 new nurses away from the Hospital? I think if the will is there the way can be found, and as, in the case of the Wellington Hospital, it seems that the addition of 25 new nurses is to be the beginnnig of ft reform 'bringing some, relief to many ladio3 who as nurses in the Hospital are noblv struggling .on, holding up against Ion*" hours, short pay, and short leisure and' recreation hours, I can only nope that the Wellington Hospital Board will earn the gratitude of the linking profession and the public by justifying Mr. Castle's claim for it that it is a leader in -reform.-I am, e., pAGET Palmerston North, November 29, 1920.