TRAINED NURSES

Hokitika Guardian, 6 June 1930, Page 2

TRAINED NURSES

REGISTRATION BILL

A MEN DM ENT OPPOSED

WELLINGTON, May 4

A. deputation representing the New Zealand Trained Nurses’ Association waited on the Minister of Health (Hon A. J. Stallworthy) to-day and asked that the Bill to amend the Nurses Registration Bill introduced in Parliament last session, but which .was not proceeded with, be not again introduced in the coming session.

Dr. J. S. Elliott introduced the deputation, which he said represented practically the whole of the nursinz profession of the Dominion. The Bill as introduced last session would in the of the Trained Nurses’ Association, make radical changes in the registration of nurses. , The nurses, of New. Zealand were the first in the,British Emmre; indeed, he thought in the world to get State registration. The nurses of New Zealand had had a- lopg and public-spirited struggle to raise the status of their profession to its present level, and they would he deeply distressed if anything were done which would prejudice the standard of the service. The nursing profession in New Zealand enjoyed reciprocity with Great Britain. The nurses had been informed that if the amending Bill of Inst session became law the existing reciprocity would he withdrawn. They had a right to ask that that reciprocity be maintained. The second point was, and the medical procfession were heart and soul with the nurses on this point, that nothing should be done which would lower the status and training of the profession or the standard of examination. Miss I. C. Tug!is, general secretary of the New Zealand Trained Nurses’ Association', said that an -innovation such as the training of nurses in private hospitals would be detrimental to the status of the profession. A questionaire had been submitted to the trained nurses in all the general hospitals throughout the Dominion, and those nurses, 500 in number, had replied opposing the provisions in tlie Bill.

Miss A. Cookson and Miss L. Ivolin members of the executive of the Trained Nurses’ Association, also snoke in opposition to the provisions of the Bill.

MINISTER’S REPLY. The Minister in the course of hia reply, said the question of the extension of the training institutions of nurses was first brought under his notice by a number of members of the medicav profession in Auckland, Since then similar representations had been made in other parts of the Dominion. It has been urged that there was no intention to lower the status of the profession or the standard of training. At present there were some small general hospitals which .were accepted as training schools, and these institutions were in respect to numbers of beds and scope of training below the standards of half a dozen of tbe largest private hospitals. What was asked was that these private hospitals if they complied with all the requirements of the Nurses and Midwives’ Regulations Board should be competent to be accepted on their merits as approved training schools. He would not agree to any change which would mean the withdrawal of reciprocity with Great Britain, nor to a change which would mean the lowering of the status and standard rif the nursing profession or of the State examination.

Mr Stallworthy added that the Bill had not yet been considered by Cabinet, so lie was not in a position to say whether or not any Bill would be introduced in the’ coming session. He promised if it was intended to bring down such a measure, even in an amended form, that a copy of the Bill would he submitted to • the Trained Nurses’ Association for their consideration.

REQUEST BY PRIVATE HOSPITALS

A deputation representing the largest private hospitals in Auckland, Wellington, and Chriistc-hurch also waited upon the Minister, and urged that the Nurses’ Registration Bill be proceeded with. It was stated on behalf of these hospitals that the fullest requirements with regard to conditions and scope of training, standard of. examination ,and State registration’of nurses would be cheerfully complied with. It was further urged that these institutions were rendering a very valuable public service, and that it was in tlie general interest of the standard of nursing that the amending legislation be proceeded with. Tlie deputations stated that if the various organisations interested were willing, to provide the large sums of money necessary to comply with the fullest requirements that might be made by the Nurses’ Registration Board, even to tlie extent of providing large public wards, that it would be an unreasonable and arbitrary procedure to refuse the claim of such institutions to be recognised as training schools.

The Minister replied that until the enestion of legislation had been considered by Cabinet lie was not in a position to state what would be done this session.