ARE THEY OVERWORKED?

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 148, 19 December 1907, Page 3

ARE THEY OVERWORKED?

AN ALLEGATION AND A REPLY. A correspondent ("Indignant") writes to us a,s follows on the subject of the hours worked by the nurses attached to St. Helen's Maternity Hospital, South Wellington,: — "The people of Wellington have for the past few days been interesting themselves on behalf of the hospitals. 1 think it is a most opportune timo to draw their attention to tho terrible hours that the nurses have to work in one, at least — I refer to the St. Helen's Hospital. The nurses pay £20 premium to enter this institution witu a view to getting an insight into tha practical portion of obstetric nursing. They havo to attend lectures, and devote spare timo to study. Now these nurses have to work twelve hours a diiy, which is in itself a long day's work. But, sad to relate, this twelve hours often runs into fourteen, and has even gone up to eighteen and twenty hours' duty in one day. Not once, but many times. No%v, I ask is this a fair thing to ask of any woman? __ How is she going to study? Body and brain tired out. This sort of thing is 6imply scandalous. Tho health of these ' women must eventually give way under sucn a strain. The Government officials aro always on the look ,out for employers overworking their hands, and why is this sort of thing allowed to go on in a Government Institution? Thanking you for your valuable space, and trusting that the authorities will see and rectify this matter." Our correspodent's letter was referred to the Hospitals Department, which has furnished us with the fallowing reply: — "Tho hours of day duty are from ei:c a.m. till ten p.m., this time being divided among the' staff, half of whom are off duty from 2 p.m. till 6 p.m., and the other half are then off till tho nexb morning. This arrangement is carried out on alternate days. Night duty is from 10 p.m. , till 6 a.m. There is a good deal of this timo during which, although a " certain number of nurses arc required to be on duty, there is not much, actual work going on, and tiino is available for rest and study. AI6O at least two hours are taken up for meals, breakfast, morning tea, dinner, afternoon lea, evening tea, and supper, all these meals except the last being prepared for the nurses. Each nurse has her work and her patients allotted to her, and in waiting on a patient may sometimes be kept overtime, - but on tho other hand it may happen thai her patients 'were convalescent, and she has little to do for them. Only ten patients can be taken into the hospital at present, so it will easily be seen that with five pupil nurses (now six), matron, sister, and two servants, on the staff, no ono can be seriously overworked. Owing to the uncertain nature of the work, and the sudden urgent calls for outside attendance, these hours for duty, as in all maternity ' hospitals, are liable to variation ; sometimes they require to be extended, sometimes lessened. During the late epidemic of scarlet fever and influenza which raged through Wellington the whole staff was undoubtedly- taxod to the utmost, but this was *tho case elsewhere both in hospitals and private nursing. In regard to the fee charged for training, it might bo noted that in Sydney the fee is 30 guineas for a twelvemonth's course, £20 for six months. In Melbourne only general trained nurses are taken, as pupils in midwifery."