SHORTAGE OF NURSES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 150, 13 July 1937, Page 4

SHORTAGE OF NURSES

H.B. Board lo Make Ifotfomi, Allowance FIRST-YEAR TRAIJIEES A decisitn t6 provide tfeet Ah'st- o£ uniforms to first-year nurses in additioh- td the fedent salUfy increase WS4 made yesterday ^afteritoo'h by thd Hawke's Bay Hospital Board ifi an endeavottr tb alleviafe the diffitiilty of obtaining piipit nttrSeS td fflUM Up required* complement at the" NSpiOf PubliC Hospital. The mafrbn, Miss h. M. dfdhj reported ie the betfd oa ihe question. The position now is that there afe 85 nurses at Napier; that- 16^ will be required in Dctoberj and that ; 95 are at present reqUifed.i Following receipt of s letter- from : the inatron through the nfledical Stfperintefident, Dr. J, j. Foiey, poiutiiig out * ' the di&cUIty, the bbafd dee'iddd tb invite the matfon to' explhih the pd^tloif • in pfifsdfi. Miss Cfdft atffibhted ^aft of tle difficulty af ie'Ast to the fact that, although the Rawie ^s Bay boar6 had granted a Iarge increase in salaryy Hawke's Bay and- Timaru were ihe only boards in New Zealand that did Uot provide the uniforms for a firstyear nUfSe. Expenditufe wdiild §MoUhi to about £5 l0/-«fdf' eaeh nttrse fof the 14 iifiiforms required. This figur'e wai lessened, howevef. how tMt the Uniforms eould be wofn uhtii W6rn eui during the first three yearS of SOrvicSf The extra £45 a year in saiaty the boafd had granted, the matron conSideted, was not looked npon by a pupil tturse as partly unifonn allowance. The initial outlay, amounting witli the Cost Of Shdes and stockiifgs to about £13, stopped many nurses from accepting positiotts With the Hawke's Bay bdafd. TK6 chaimfian, Mf. C. LassOfi, poifif0d otit that the question .had feCOiVed full cQnsideration when the matter of hourA aiid salaries came under th# nOtice of the board, The board finally decided fo maka the allowance.