HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8793, 1 May 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

An extraordinary meeting of tho Hospital Trustees wag held yesterday afternoon, and was attended by Messrs P. Miller (chairman), J. Greei), J. Robin, W. Wills, W. Wright, W. Dawson, and A. Solomon,

Tho OiiAiiiMAN explained that tho meeting hail beeu called for the purpose of receiving the report of the committed which had been uppointed at the last meeting to consider the matter of a nurses' home and of a change in tho system of nursing.

Tho report was to the following effect :—

Your committeo having carefully examined the replies of hospital authorities and medicil men to the questions placed before them re nursing, and having considered the wkjle subject, recommend : (1) fhatthrj tystem of nursing in the Duiieiliu Hospital be altered In tho direction of employing all feuialo nurses, under a matron qualified to superintend and teacli tho nurses, exaept in so f.ir as one ward is concerned, in which social mile cases shall be treated, and whore a male attendant shall be employed. (2) Tint so aoon B3 funds are available for the purpose, a nurses' home bo erected and furnished, iv order that the foregoing resolution may bo carried out.

(3) That with a view of preventing any error in tho construction and snullarv arrangements of tho said nurses' homo, the chairman of the honorary medical staff, Professor Scott, Messrs a. Gray Russell mid Honry Houghton bo Invited to confer with and advise the trustees re plans, &a.

He Solomon, in moving tho adoption of tho report, said that tho committee had given a great deal ot time to the consideration of tho matter, and had arrived at a decision which in their opinion would meet the views of evorybody, end the discussion ou tho subject of a

nirsos' home, and enable thu trustees, he hoped, ;o immediately proceed with tho erection and

furnishing of a home. Regarding their first recommendation, the committee had arrived ftt their decision after carefully goinc through all the replies that they had received from the hospital authorities, who were unanimous in

stating that they had themselves adopted tho system of female nursing, and from the medical mon—27 in uumber—who had boon consulted, and who were almost unanimous in recomnicud-

ing the adoption of that system. The committeo

folt themselves justified, therefore, in recommending the trustees to follow that course. The second recommendation meaut that so soou as

the funds that had beeu collected for tho purpose were placed at the disposal of the trustees tho erection of a nurses' home would havo to bo at onco commenced. In tho third portion of their recommendations the committee auVUed the trustees to take into their confidence gentlemen of professional standing, so that the funds might be expended to the best possible advantage, and so that no faulb might afterwards bo. found with the building. The committee thought also that it was a proper compliment to fitr Houghton and Mr Gray Russell, as thcEe gentlemen had taken a great deal of

trouble in the collection of the fund, that they should havo a voieo in the management of the nurses' home.

In answer to Mr Wright, Mr Solomon added that the fund in hand, with the subsidy, would, so far as he knew, be

amply sufficient to erect a tomo. ■ Mr Wills seconded ths adoption of the report. Apart altogether from their own know-

ledge of the circumstances ha thought it was very desirablo that this improvement should be carried out. He did not wish to commit himself to details, but he thought that female nursing was much preferable to the present system. Mr Romx remarked that he had no doubt from the expressions of opinion he had heard that if more funds wtre wanted they would be obtained. Mr Solomon quito agreed with Mr Robin. Even if they were several hundreds short they would not have the slightest difficulty in obtaining them. The motion for the adoption of the report was then carried. It was decided to forward a copy of tho report to Messrs Houghton aod Russell. Mr Solomon mentioned with reference to Mrs Robert Campbell's legacy to the trustees, that the JESOOO was to be paid to them to be expended in such manner as they had a legal power to expend it —as the board of management might think fit. The trustees then went into committee.