THE HOSPITAL NURSING STAFF.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15777, 19 December 1916, Page 7

THE HOSPITAL NURSING STAFF.

As there appears to bo an idea about that the Christchurch Hospital is very much understaffed at the present time, with the result that it is alleged that tho nurses are badly overworked, nnd that their holidays are unreasonablypostponed, a representative of 'The Press" saw the .Medical Superintendent and the Matron last night to get somo information on the matter. To put it briefly, the allocations are stated to be entirely incorrect. Tbo Hospital is iullv staffed at present, and has been to lor at letst five months past. With very rare exceptions the nurses' hours arc not more than eight on duty, ami in no case have tho holidays Di tho individual members of the stalf been unduly postponed. When the '-staff' of the Christchurch Hospital is mentioned, it must be undorstood that the central institution h&s to provide nurses lor the I'ottlc Lake Hospital, the Old Glen's Homo at Ashburton, tho Old Women's Home at Woolston, a'-d tho Kaikonra and Akaroa Hospitals. The. two last art- comparatively small institutions, which need, however, the sei vices of trained nurses. When tho epidemic of scarlet fever was at its height, some seven or eight months ago, it is admitted that the strain on the central institution wr.s rather severe. A number of nurses had to be sent to assist at Bottle Lake, and while there, they wore undoubtedly worked hard, with the result that some fell ill and had to be relieved. This naturally imjant a further call on the services of thu nurses at tho cnntr&'l institution. and it was at this time that thero was some postponement of holidays. The Matron stated definitely that the longest neriod to which holidays v ere defer reef was two months, and m the great majority of cases it web merely a matter of a couple of weeks or so. At the present time., and for some months past, the Hospital has been rather more than fully staffed. The call of th<- war has pulled down the. percentage oi qualified sisters of lons experience, but tho bhortagn has been more than made up numerically with junior nurses. Th° a °i'ial effect is that though possibly there is rather more responsibility on the heads of departments, the nursing staff is slightly larger than normal, ::r.d contains rather a larger proportion of junior nurses in training.