TRAINED NURSES BILL.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20056, 11 October 1930, Page 16

TRAINED NURSES BILL.

' FURTHER AMENDMENTS. £TH£ PEESS Special Serrieo.] WELLINGTON, October 10. Amendments made to the Nurses and Midwives Registration Bill in the Legislative Council in accordance with an undertaking given by the 'Minister lor Health, the Hon. A. J. St all worthy, when the Bill was in Committee in the House of Representatives, were agreed to by the House this morning. Mr ritallworthy mentioned that members of the House had expressed a desire for a clearer definition of an "adequate charge" for patients receiving treatment. The amendment was in amplification of that term. The term "adequate charge" had been replaced by the following"A charge the raily rate of which does not exceed the actual daily cost of rendering such service, and also does not exceed the daily charge for the time beingfor inpatients in the nearest public hospital in the hospital district in which such private hospital or private charitable institution is situated." A provision had also been inserted in the Bill to meet the expressed fear that too many nurses might be trained and the consequent over-supplv result in unemployment. The amendment enabled the Board to prescribe the number of nurses in training in any particular institution, and to regulate the ration of trainees to nurses. "One thing remains to be done to meet the wishes of members, said Mr Stallworthy. ''Provision 'wilt bo made for the appointment of an additional nurse to preserve the balance on the Nurses' atid wives' Registration Board _ when the Governor-General gives his assent to Bill." , . . . Mr A. E. Ansell (R., Chalmers) asked the Minister what would be the effect when students who had been getting their training in public hospitals found' that patients were going to the private hospitals to take advantage of the facilities obtaining there under the new law. Would thev have access to the "public beds"? If'the patients were lost to the public hospitals it was desirable that the training of students should not be endangered, and that provision should be made bv legislation to enable them to continue their training among the free beds of private hospitals. The Minister replied that arrangements would be made to give effect to the proposal that students should be allowed access to these beds.