Essentials for a health service
1946 1946 1940s 12 pages at isolated sanatoria and hospitals, including provision of transport to neighbouring towns and cinematograph and theatrical performances, should be provided. The promotion of a steady supply of nurse students into the profession. The recruitment of nurses is an entirely d...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
London : Communist Party
1946
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/86466664-0219-4E6B-A52E-6C1F47F14D00 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/B56D3386-EAF8-498C-A1C3-E79E7410C0AC |
| Summary: | 1946
1946
1940s
12 pages
at isolated sanatoria and hospitals, including provision of transport to neighbouring towns and cinematograph and theatrical performances, should be provided. The promotion of a steady supply of nurse students into the profession. The recruitment of nurses is an entirely different problem, and conditions of living, though important, are only one of the factors which cause difficulties. It is believed that the number of nurses who start training is sufficient, but that the loss of 60 per cent of student nurses by failure to complete their training is the main problem. Even if this wastage in training can be cut down by, say, one-half (and this cannot be quickly achieved) it is still unlikely that the present number of recruits to the profession could meet the needs of the expansion of the health services, increased efficiency of hospitals and other units, and the increased staff requirements for improved methods of training. Analysis of the work of student nurses shows that a large amount of the time spent in the first year of training is domestic work — cleaning, fetching and carrying, together with, the duties of waitress, messenger, etc. — and that in subsequent years far too much of the valuable time of a nurse is still utilised for similar duties. Associated with this is the ridiculously small amount of practical education given to these overworked girls in the early part of their career, with the obvious consequence that it takes far too long for the student to become useful as a nurse. We would therefore suggest: (i) The first problem to tackle is the provision of sufficient labour for domestic work in hospitals in order to relieve nurses and student nurses for nursing and training. This will necessitate satisfactory conditions being laid down for hospital domestic workers as regards pay, working hours and living conditions, improvement in status, suitable instruction in hygiene, etc., opportunity for promotion to grades such as ward orderlies, organised recruitment from ex-servicemen and women, including the R.A.M.C. It must be stressed that the Hetherington scales are hopelessly inadequate as an inducement to enter hospital service. 8
15X/2/103/357 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |