NEGLIGENCE OF NURSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22193, 21 August 1935, Page 12

NEGLIGENCE OF NURSES

COMPENSATION CLAIMS

RESPONSIBILITY QUESTION The question of responsibility in cases of negligence by nurses was discussed at a meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board yesterday, when a letter from the Hospital Boards' Association dealing with the effect of the recent claim against the Waitaki Hospital Board was considered. . The letter stated that ail a result ©I? a majority judgment in the Court of Appeal the Waitaki Hospittil Board, B'abject to an appeal to the Privy Council, would have to find approximately £I7OO to meet damages and cosits awarded to the claimant anl, in addition, pay its own costs. An f ppeal to the Privy Council, if unsuccessful, would involve a further £7OO and ii : the appeal were successful, a savirg of £I7OO would be offset by a further expense of approximately £350. A decision had not yet been made vbethi*. the Waitaki Board i hould be advised to appeal to the Privy Council and the advice of the Minister »f Health was being awaited. The" board was asked whether it desired, in conjunction with olh< r boards, \o contribute toward the lej;;al costs incurred by the Waitaki Hospital Board. As the law eiow stood, it wns stated, it was, in the opinion of tho executive, desirable that hospital bo;>rds should insure against this class of risk. The Rev. W. C. Wood moved that the Jinanca committee should f;o into tho matter of insuring the boirl against oases pf this kind. The notion was carried, and a further motion moved by tho. chairman, that the beard was averse! to taking the matter iio the Privy Council, waa also passed. Ari.'sirig out of the same mutter, Dr. lE. B. Gunson referred to the case of the radiological technician at the hospital, Mr. J. L. Campbell, who suffered :injury through an X-ray burn. The matter was referred to tho finance committee.