A NURSE’S DISMISSAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3899, 4 December 1928, Page 7

A NURSE’S DISMISSAL.

REINSTATED BY HOSPITAL BOARD. SECRECY OF POST VIOLATED. AUCKLAND, November 26. Strong comment upon the violation of the secrecy ordinarily observed regarding letters placed in the post for delivery was made by members of the Auckland Hospital Board when Nurse E. A. Blackie, who was recently dismissed by a special committee for writing to a prisoner in Mount Eden Gaol after he had been a patient at the hospital, appeared before the board with a request that her case should be reconsidered. After hearing the contents of Miss Blackie’s written explanation, members declined to take the responsibility of punishing her. This attitude was adopted on the ground that the document forwarded by her to the prisoner should never have been placed in the hands of the medical superintendent (De C. E. M'Guire), and it was unanimously decided that, provided Nurse Blackie made an apology to the matron (Miss A. Taylor), about whom she admitted making a rather indiscreet statement, she should be reinstated in her former position.

On Nurse Blackie’s statement being read, Mr A. M. Laing asked whether the letter to the prisoner had been forwarded officially to the medical superintendent by the gaol authorities. “ The letter was shown to me by a person from the gaol,” Dr Maguire said. “ Then it is very plain there is a leakage somewhere,” 'remarked Mr Laing “It seems very strange that anyone should be able to hand this letter to the hospital authorities without the sanction of the governor of the gaol. Is there no secrecy in regard to letters? ” Mr S. J. Harbutt said there was no justification for a copy of such a private document being broadcast. It was the property of the postal authorities. It was agreed that the police and gaol authorities had the right to censor any letters going to a prison, but they could not justify the contents being made public. Mr M. J. Savage said that some effort should be made to trace the person who placed the letter in the hands of Dr Maguire, otherwise the board would only be beating the air in discussing the question. “ I do not think this board has any right to act on that letter at all,” said Mr J. Dempsey. “ The board has no right to see it. Whoever sent that letter from the gaol to Dr Maguire was committing a breach of the postal regulations, and it was a very serious breach at that. Anything sent through the post is supposed to be confidential, and unless there was something of a criminal nature in this letter no one had a right to divulge its contents. I do not think the gaol authorities knew their business when they let someone outside the prison read it, and this board should not take the least notice of it.” “ I do not think it is for us to question how the letter came to be revealed,” said Air J. Rowe. “ I am given to understand that the gaol authorities will be asked to go into that question. Whoever is responsible for the letter getting out will be brought to book.” It was decided, after further discussion, to rescind the previous motion dismissing Nurse Blackie. A resolution moved by Sir Coyle to the effect that she should be reinstated on condition she made an apology to the matron was then carried unanimously. “ I am sorry the nurse was dismissed without a hearing,” said Air Wallace. “ I thought the matron and Dr Maguire had spoken to her and that she had explained the position, but it appears that she had not made any explanation at all.”