AUCKLAND HOSPITAL.

Mataura Ensign, 14 May 1912, Page 2

AUCKLAND HOSPITAL.

MATRON AND STAFF. INQUIRY OIMiXKD. FEE UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION AUCKLAND, May 13. An inquiry was opened this morning at the Auckland Hospital concerning the trouble which lias occurred between the matron and medical ami nursing stall's. At the invitation of the chairman of the Hospital Hoard (.Mr H. Schoiiold), the chairman of the .Medical Committee (])r Pabst) has submitted particulars oi' the complaints made by the .Medical Committee against the superintendent. These charges have in turn been submitted to Miss (Jriffiths, I and her replies have been received. The allegations and answers constitute a mass of typewritten matter, of which j the following is a digest: The first complaint made hv the .Medical Committee, is that the lady superintendent, .-.ystcmatically has not commenced her duties before 10 a.m. instead of !) a.m. To this the matron gave an absolute denial. Her workingday, she states, commences at. (i. Ci a.m., and often she is unable 1o get to bod until after II p.m. Next is a charge of "insolence and impertinence" to the superiors. Three ,sp< eilied cases' are cited. The first is to lb.- effect that on February 2S, when asked by the chairman of the .Medical Committee if she bad anything to report, the matron replied satirically. "It is really very nice of you to take such an interest in the nurses." On February 20. in reply to a similar quest:,n, .-lie said it. Has waging her time asging her such questions. A third instance quoted was a happening of the same date when, in reply to a request that a ecr:ain nurse he sent for, the matron replied that the nurse was engaged on more important business iii'-pccting sinks ami lavatories. In her reply the matron points out that :here is nothing in the hospital by-laws which entitles tiie chairman of the .Medical Committee to regard himself as her superior. She explained, in reply to the first accusation, that she gave a full report upon the point raised by Dr Pabst, and made the remark quoted in conclusion without the slightest intention of satire.

On the .second count she stated that she twice gave a verbal report upon a certain subject, and gave a great deal of time in drafting a report which the Medical Committee refused to receive. She admits being annoyed over tlio incident and having stated that it was evident that demands for detailed reports in writing were only asked of her with the intention of wasting her time. In reply to the third complaint, the matron states that when the nurse was sent for she (the matron) explained that it would be difficult to find a nurse at that hour, as her first duty was to carry out an inspection of lavatories and bathrooms. She alleges that the chairman thereupon became very angry and said : "If she keeps me waiting five minutes

will suspend her." Another complaint is that a breach was committed bv leaving Ward IV. without the presence of a competent nurse. In refuting the charge, Miss (Jrifliths points out that the committee itself gave Sister Cro/.ier permission to go to Xew Plymouth, and Sister Mueller, a gold medallist of last season, was out in charge. She is still in the ward, and has since been promoted to the rank of sister, her \w>ik having always been satisfactorily rep tted on.

Other minor charges are made. The more serious charge against the matron is as follows: "That the lady superintendent placed a probationer in charge of a patient suffering from gonorrhoea! ophthalmia on two occasions, thereby showing either gross incompetence or a gross dereliction of duty. On th;> second occasion it yns done after a reprimand by the chairman of the- medical staff." The matron's reply to this is as follows:—"When I arrived here, in July. 1911, there wero two junior nurses with five, and six months' experience respectively doing special duty with a small child suffering from tetanus (lockjaw). I ascertained from the superintendent that ft had been customary to place special cases in the small wards of big wards, and to place two juniors on special duty to act under the supervision of tho sister in charge of the ward. Tn this way the patient actually received more expert attention than if more senior nurses worn put on special duty, as the sister, who has probably been nursing some years, has seen several cases of the particular disease, while a nurse that is in training is probably specialising her first case. Nurses in training doing special duty aro never put in charge of the cases. They always work under the supervision of the sister in charge of the ward, and who is responsible for tho case. l)r Pabst insisted on one occasion on my getting in a trained private nurse for a case of his (ophthalmia), and this put the Hoard to unnecessary expense of paying three guineas a week when one oi our nurses in training would have managed finite as well if the sister in charge of tho ward had been allowed to continue the supervision of the case."

Tlie concluding complaint is that by reason of want of method th.. lady superintendent, lias failed to promptly <'arry out instructions from the chairman of the Medical Committee relative to various matters p-i-taining to her duties. To this tin matron replies: "There is no by-law which empowers the chairman of the honorary staff to issue instructions to tlu> lady superintendent, and as he visits the hospital very occasionally lie is not in a position to judge of my method. I regard myself as a servant of the Hoard. As stated in the complaint, I am desirous of falling in with his wishes as I'av as possible for the harmonious working of the institution, but I can't believe that the Hoard would expect me to be at the beck and (all of tlie honorary staff. It is not pi to form any idea from casual visits of the vast amount of labor i'n. tailed in the iiiansigemcn: of a. large institution the size of the Auckland' Hospital, the work of the hospital and Nurses' Home taking up a considerable portion of the '-'I hours."