CALL ON NURSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 February 1940, Page 6

CALL ON NURSES

DOMINION & OVERSEAS SERVICE CONCLUSIONS OF RECENT CONFERENCE. MASTERTON MATRON'S REPORT. The matron of Masterton Hospital, Miss Garnett submitted to the Wairarapa Hospital Board today a comprehensive report on the recent Matron's Conference held in Wellington, the object of which was to discuss arrangements for the staffing of public hospitals, military camps and hospitals in New Zealand and overseas.

The main points agreed upon were that no matron of a training school would be permitted to go abroad. Tutor sisters would not be released uifless they could be replaced by others with special qualifications and experience. Sub-matrons and theatre sisters must not go until suitable sisters had been trained to take their places. No nurse is io be permitted to leave New Zealand unless for some very special reason as there wore some 350 New Zealand nurses abroad. The High Commissioner in London was compiling a register of nurses, and many of them might transfer to the New Zealand Army Nursing Service, and thus prevent too great a drain on New Zealand’s resources. A very large number of nurses had enlisted. Of those about a third were classed as good to excellent, a third as satisfactory, and of the remainder one-half perhaps good enough, and one half either over age or unsatisfactory. As one sister had been already released from the Masterton Hospital and leave of absence had also been granted for six months to three other sisters to take their post, graduate course, the Health Department was not asking for any more Army nurses from the board’s district.