DISTRICT NURSING

Evening Star, Issue 24047, 20 November 1941, Page 13

DISTRICT NURSING

ST. HILDA BOROUGH INTERESTED INAUGURAL MEETING HELD For the purpose of discussing tho institution of a nursing service in the St. Kilda district a meeting was hold in the St. Kilda Council Chambers last night, tho mayor (Mr N. D. Anderson) presiding. The meeting, which was fairly well attended, was addressed by Dr A. R. Falconer, who outlined the operations of snob services. They were intended to relievo the pressure on hospitals by providing nursing cure of a fully qualified type in eases of sickness which did not require hospital treatment, or in carrying on care of patients discharged from hospital before complete recovery. The Hospital Board already had as many responsibilities as it could face up to, and it would bo unfair to expect it to run district nursing schemes in Dunedin. Consultations had been hold with the Director-General of Health, wiio was strongly in favour of district nursing schemes, and although no decision had been reached it had been suggested that tho sum of £4OO a year would keep a nurse and nursing services going, this money to bo provided in the following ways:—£loo by the social security funds, £IOO by the Hospital Board, and £2OO by the district covered, which, said Dr Falconer, would be a reasonable division. The dav was past when tho health of the public could he treated as a problem independent of _ economic, social, and educational conditions, and for a proper nursing service there needed to be general participation by the health authorities, (lie hospitals, the

medical and nursing professions, and the people themselves. No plan could work efficiently If any of these five were omitted. To-day, too, there could he added the Social Security Department. He disclosed that New Zealand was the only dominion in the British Empire which did not have a national district nursing organisation. An account of how the Roslyn District Nursing Association was founded in May, 1934, and how it operated was given by Mrs Falconer, while an exnurse of the association (Miss Kinmont) described the routine and ways by which money had been raised to keep the association alive.

Cr J. H. Hinton said that ho was in favour of the scheme, but he had heard it said that the Otago Hospital Board intended to introduce a comprehensive district nursing scheme of its own in 19-12. Ho felt that before anything was done in the S. Kilda district tile Otago Hospital Board should he asked its intentions. Dr Falconer stated he also had heard this suggestion, hut Dr Nowlands had denied any knowledge of it when asked about it. It was then agreed to form an organising committee to cover the whole of the St, Kilda Borough and that portion of St. Clair which came within the city, hut which was in line with the borough. The committee’s first duty, it was decided, would he to write to the Hospital Board and find out what was intended bv that body. The committee comprises Mr N. D. Anderson (chairman), Mr d. "Warrington Taylor (secretary and treasurer), Mesdamcs Webb, Anderson, Hunter, Dove, Messrs J. H. Hinton and L. J. Wraiglit, the committee being given power to add to its numbers.