SISTER M'KAY

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 5 December 1912, Page 5

SISTER M'KAY

AND THE HOSPITAL BOARD.

NURSE'S .RESIGNATION IiCCKIVEI).

I At the meeting of the Masteiton I .Hospital and Oharitablo Aid Board J yesterday the following report concerning tho Masterton Hospital was embraced in the report of the special ' committee set up to confer w'th the Inspector-General of Hospitals, i» reference to matters affecting the ;idministration of the Board: "Tho chairman intimated that ho had received a letter from the matron, in- , timating that she had had occasion to suspend one of tho listers belonging to tho Masterton Hospital staff. Ho further stated that a coni))laint had boon made to tho hospital committee, who, after investigation, had accepted tho nurse's explanation in regard to tho matter complained of as satisfactory. Tho present suspension, 'however, w.isi on wider charges and ho was of opinion that this committee of Board members should deal with tho matter at once. Mr Eivington moved, and Mr Morrison seconded, that tho matter lie referred to tho hospital committee. The motion was declared lost on the casting vote of the chairman : the_voting .being— Ayes, Messrs Ewington, Mor."i-.on, Mooro and Cameron; noes, Messrs Bolton, Cornelius, Fisher and Eton. ' . . . Tho secretary was called noon to read the minutes of tho hospital committee dealing with the matter. The matron attended, and stated her reasons for suspending the nurse in question. The medical officer (Dr Archer Hoskintr), on being asked, stated that ho had known of the friction for some time. The hospital, however, had not suffered owing to it. He had intended consulting Dr Valintiue. Avitli the object of securing a transfer of some of the nurses at present on the staff. Matters, however, had reached a crisis too precipitately to allow of this being done. On tho motion of Mr Fisher, seconded by Mr Cornelius, ifc was :*osolvcd unanimously "That tho matron's suspension of Sister McKay bo upheld." Tt was further losoived, on the motion of Mr Bolton, seconded by tho chairman, that Sister McKay he requested to send in lior resignation, and that failing her doing so and intimating that she so desires an inquiry into the matter, shall bo conducted bv tho Board I

At an adjourned meeting of the committee yesterday morning Sister McKay wrote tendering her resignation as a 'member of the Masterton Hospital staff, as from December Ist, and stating that as the circumstances of her resignation \ver3 unusual, she considered* that .-.die was entitled to a month's leave on full pay. After discussion it was resolved, on tihe motion of Mr Ci moron, seconded by Mr Fisher, that Sister McKav's resignation be accepted as from December Ist, and that the Hoard cannot recognise her claim for a month's leave on full pay. ■The chairman moved the adoption of the report. Mr M. J. H. Jackson asked what were the circumstances that had bd up to the resignation of the nurse. The chairman stated that the \vhn!e matter had boon dealt with by a. snocial committee, in the presence of Dr Valintine. The sister bad been suspended, under the rules, by the matron. Dr Valintine had si a ted that he might find another position for the nurse.

Mr Jackson asked, in view of the fact that the Tnspecior-General bad offered to transfer the nurse, what there was for requesting her to resign ? Mr Fi-Vr nointe'l nut that the matter bnd.boen dealt with '.y riie sub-committee. No evidence had been called. No good mfrposo oouhl be served by further discussing vhe matter. .Mr Cameron said the whole question at. jVvup was the correctness of the minutes. Mr Dawson stated that. b.> n <: a member of the Board, had not been consulted on this matter. fTe -would like to know who authorised the special committee to dent' with it.

Mr Ewin-rfon said he did not opnose what had been done in regard to the nurse. As a member of the special committee of the Board, however, ho maintained that the committee had no right to transact business other than that for which the committee had been «et up. /The chairman stated that the. special committee had decided that the. matter was one of urgoncv, and h«d resolved to deal with it.

Mr Herbert asked what nhonz the poor girl? Were they going to -vlow a, stigma to be cast upon her? She had, apparently, not be given an opportunity of defending hei ~elf. The chairman stated that ihere was nothing whatever against the oharscer of the nurse.

Mr Herbert: Then I will vote against the motion to confim the minuses, until I know what, has transpired to lead up to the nurse being asked to resign. Mr Cornelius stated that thee had been absolutely nothing against the character of Xurso McKay. There had been friction between the nnrso and the matron over the former having absented herself without leave. The chairman repeated that there was nothing against the character of the nurse. T>r Valintino had decided that, whon the riur.se- was restored to health, he would find her another position. The nu rse-had-been given an l opportunity to call for an inquiry, but «he had preferred not to avail I herself of the opportunity. Mr Dawson complained, thai the Board bad been ignored in the matter. He did not think the special committee bad any right to deal with it How did they know thM, the nurse was in fault, when <die had not been given an opportunity in defend herself? Mr W. Moore stated that this was one of those cases in which the chairman had exorcised the discretionary

power that was vested in. all chairmen. In the circumstances, Mr Moore considered that the chairman had dieted properly. Tf the Board wished to pass a vote of censure upon the special committee, it could 'do so. Mr Jackson again rose to ?peak. Mr T. V. Moore asked if they were going to have, members speaking 'half a dozen times. They had already heard Mr Jackson and Mr Ewington .several times. Mr Ewington claimed the right to make an explanation. He considered that Nurse McKay had been made ■a scape-goat. The chairman : Order! That is not an explanation. T cannot allow you to discuss the whole Question again. Mr Ewington contended that X.irse McKay should have been jjiVen an opportunity of being 'heard. The chairman said the nm«f was given an opportunity of calling for an inquiry. The motion for the adoption cf the report was then put and carried on the voioes.