AUCKLAND HOSPITAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15922, 7 May 1912, Page 4

AUCKLAND HOSPITAL.

A CRISIS REACHED.

ULTIMATUM FROM CERTIFICATED NURSES. [Per Press Association.] AUCKLAND, May 6.

Affairs in connection with the administration of the Auckland Hospital have reached a crisis. Blatters progressed a stage further this morning, when thero was placed in the hands of the Board an ultimatum’ signed by every certificated nurse in the institution with two exceptions. The communication received by Mr Garland, secretary ,of the Hospital Board, reads as follows: —" We, the undersigned members of. the Auckland Hospital nursing staff respectfully desire to draw the attention of the Board i to the fact that wa feel we cannot with justice either to the institution or ourselves continue to carry on our duties under the management of the present lady superintendent.” The signatures include those of the deputy lady superintendent, night superintendent, all fifteen sisters in charge of wards, and ten of the twelve staff nurses. It is stated that the two who have not signed are absent on holidays. This means that the ultimatum delivered to the Board is backed, by all the certificated nurses on the Auckland Hospital staff, and it is. moreover, stated that if their protest is without avail, practicallv the whole of the eighty odd uncertificated nurses in the institution will join in what would bo tantamount 1 to a general strike of the nursing staff. The new chairman of the Board, Mr H. Schofield, when seen this morning, said that the action of the nursing staff had eoino as a surprise to him. A re- j port had previously been sent in by the chairman of the Medical Committee, commenting unfavourably upon the work of Miss Griffiths as lady superintendent, bat this was the first indication by members of the nursing staff that they were dissatisfied. Mr Schofield added that be. was to-day asking the nurses who had signed this' ulti-

matum to. formulate their grievances, and these would be in turn submitted to the lady superintendent for her reply. ■ Both statements Would then come before the Board, and the next thing to be done would probably be to set up a special committee to go into the whole business. Miss Griffiths, lady superintendent, when interviewed this morning, said that until she was placed in possession of details of the circumstances upon which the sisters and staff nurses had based their letter to the Board she was at a loss to understand why this action should have been taken. Since she took up her duties as matron ten months .ago she bad always made a point of inviting full ventilation of any real or fancied 'grievance noon the part of any member of the staff, and bad regular office hours between' 9 anrl 11 a.in. for the purpose of negotiating such business in connection with her administration. There were occasionally small matters requiring investigation, hut so far as she was aware they had always been, satisfactorily adjusted. She certainly knew of no reason whv members of the staff should feel justified in appealing to the Board. She was aware that the Inspector-General of Hospitals (Dr Yhlintine) did not approve of her appointment, and in some respects it had been verv uphill work for her, particularly as the medical committee had also been liigblv antagonistic to her in connection with certain matters pertaining to administration. Tn every respect she bad genuinely endeavoured to do her best, and she could only think that members of thn nursing staff had been inspired to take this attitude ngainst her.

Told that it was reported flint the nurses were up in arms because of unsatisfactory working o man cements, which, even included as much as twentynine hours’ duty at a stretch, in an isolation ward, tho fupc r intendent said that she could unhesitatingly srive such statements an emphatic denial. Miss Griffiths added that she would welcome an inquiry into the affairs of her department. and trusted that in order to pet fully at t.ho bottom of affairs the inquiry would be of sufficient scone to cover tlie administration of tho institution as a whole.