MANPOWER POLICY

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 213, 4 June 1943, Page 4

MANPOWER POLICY

Staffing Of Mental Hospitals

COMMITTEE’S STATEMENT

“There is a psychological factor to be taken into account in matters of this kind and on a question of directing young girls special consideration must be given to it. There exists in the minds of the public generally, a decided prejudice against the idea of working in a mental hospital and while it may be partly true that it is a prejudice born of ignorance of the actual work and mental hospital environment, it is nevertheless a deep-rooted one which cannot be dissipated by a mere wave of the hand."’ , . ~ , . This comment was made by the chairman Mr. J. J. Scott, when making a policy statement yesterday on behalf of the Wellington Manpower Industrial Committee, which has been dealing during the past two days with appeals by and on behalf of young women who have been directed to take up employment as nurses at Porirua mental hospital. In the committee’s opinion the class or type of person required as li nurse at a mental hospital was preferably a volunteer worker inspired by cither a liking for the work itself or a sense of Christian duty and failing that, a directed person of such an age as to possess mental stability and in addition possessing the quali- • ti'es of kindness, patience, tact, cheerfulness and above all good health and physique. The class of directed person now appearing as appellants before the committee were young city girls—all of them clerks—whose ages range from 20 to 24 years. “These girls, without exception, have had no training or experience in nursing, and they confess a horror or dread of their being required to work at a mental hospital,” added the statement. “Eschewing sentimentality this prejudice may well amount to a horror in the minds of some people —in fact one appellant so described her own feelings. The direction of a person of such a mind might well amount to mental cruelty and in the case of young girls on the threshold of life, immature, highly strung and impressionable. might well be attended by tragic consequences. “While required to deal with each individual appeal on its merits the committee, is nevertheless unanimous in the view that in no circumstances should a female person under 21 years of age be directed against their will to employment as a nurse at a mental hospital. This is not to be interpreted as denying the existence of a limited number of young people under 21 years of age who as volunteers for service as nurses in mental hospitals would make a success of that vocation. In such cases there would be no element of compulsion. “The committee feels that the mental hospital authorities err in supposing that their hospitals can be permanently staffed by the direction of persons in pursuance of a measure designed to meet war-time exigencies only and the committee would be sorry to see it used for any other purpose. It considers there exists a type of person who is much more suited to the mental hospital work than are the girls now under direction. If the registration age were’ extended there would be less difficulty in. locating the more suitable type. Another means of reaching this class and possibly of securing their co-oneration would be by an appeal from the pulpit of all churches. As a war measure there should be established for mental hospitals a reserve of workers whose employment in mental hospitals should be regarded as a war effort of limited duration. This fixation of a specified period of service, the committee believes, would overcome much of the existing objection to the direction to hospital work. “Limiting the period of hospital work to a fixed term, after which every person who has faithfully performed their hospital work should be immune from further direction, if then existing circumstances will so permit, would entail the training of greater numbers, but the direction of successive batches of nurses each month would avoid the change from a trained to an untrained staff on expiry of the service term of any batch. The training of this larger number of nurses would no doubt result in a greater number of them electing to'continue their service beyond the stipulated period and quite probably permanently. It would extend the field of supply for permanent staff which the authorities now complain has been narrowed by war conditions. “Though the type of directed person now before the committee is not considered to be completely suitable, the need is so desperate that some of these must be directed. Those persons whom the committee sees fit to direct will be directed for a specific period of six months in expectation of others being found to relieve them at the appropriate time. The fixation of a term does not curtail any directed person’s right to seek release in terms of the regulations at any time (luring that period. “Concerning appeals by present employers of directed persons as far as the committee is concerned mental hospital staff needs will be given priority over almost all other employment.” Appeals heard yesterday were those of Miss A. M. Johnson, aged 21, employed by Jones Bros., wholesale merchants; Miss N. J. Worts, aged 26, employed at Lower Hutt by R. Hannah and Co., Ltd.; Miss Lucille D. Orsborn, aged 25, manageress of the Mayfair Cabaret: Miss M. E. A. Miller, aged 24, employed by Sargood. Son and Ewen, Ltd.; Miss Rosina F. Hill, aged 20, employed by the Universal Printing Products Co.; Miss Geraldine F. Hillman, aged 23, employed by the. Excelsior Supply Co.; Miss M. A. White, aged 21, employed privately.