SUPERINTENDING NURSE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24783, 6 December 1941, Page 7

SUPERINTENDING NURSE

A NEW APPOINTMENT On the recommendation- of Miss Lambie, director of the division of nursing, the appointment of a superintending nurse to the St. John Ambulance Association, has recently been made. Mrs Thomson, who was formerly a district nurse under the Marlborough Hospital Board, and is qualified in midwifery and plunket nursing as well as in general nursing, has come to Dunedin to organise this extension in the work of St. John Ambulance Association. Whereas, formerly, the association concerned itself with the care of the indigent poor, the necessitous sick, and chronic patients, it now plans to extend its services to the whole community. This step is in keeping with the traditions of the association, whose aim is to assist the official health department and hospitals during peace time, and the army medical service in times of war.

The district nursing service in all the British possessions is carried on by voluntary organisations, and this method of working has proved a great success Committees and sub-commit-tees in each district are familiar with the needs of the* people in that particular area, and this factor is important in creating the personal touch which is of such value in this type of work The first district nursing service was started in New Zealand in 1905, and Miss Barclay, who retired some few years ago, was the first nurse. For the past eight years, a highly successful service has been conducted in Roslyn, and it is the aim of the association to establish a room in each suburb, where outpatients can receive treatment.

The work is dependent entirely on voluntary contributions ,and the fact that il has been sustained and extended since its inception affords evidence that its value is widely appreciated. This new feature will, no doubt, receive the support which the association has merited through its years of service.