ONE DAY OFF PER WEEK

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 165, 8 April 1921, Page 6

ONE DAY OFF PER WEEK

AUCKLAND NURSES WILL BE FIRST TO GET IT.

Indications are that the Auckland Hospital Board will be the first to adopt the practice of giving nurses , one clear day’s holiday per week. Speaking to a reporter yesterday, the Minister of Public Health (Hon. C. J. Parr) stated that he had finally approved, of a proposal of the Auckland! Board to erect a building for the temporary accommodation of twenty-four nurses—the additional number required to enable the board to give the time off referred to above. After the erection of the new nurses’ home, thdbuildingfthat the-Minifiter’has just approved of' will be used as a ward. Ihe reform in the nurses’ conditions of employment should take place in Auckland in three months’ time, as the necessary accommodation should be available by then.

Tho Minister expressed the strongest, approbation of the step the Auckland Board was taking. Other boards, he said, were considering the question, and were doing their best to meet the wishes of the Department. "There can be no doubt," said Mr. Parr, "that nurses have been overworked in the past. That is one of tho reasons for which there was recently a shortage of them. lam informed in. Auckland, where it is known that a day off is to be given, suitable girls for the profession are applying in considerable numbers to be taken in for training. In fact, there is a waiting list m Auckland now.