H—3l

For the past three years the Civil Nursing Reserve, made up of registered nurses and voluntary aids from the Order of St. John and the New Zealand Red Cross Society, has assisted the staffing of our civil hospitals, particularly the small country hospitals. However, the factors already mentioned affected this Reserve so materially that only a very small number was left by the end of 1946. The Hon. Minister of Health therefore agreed that this Reserve should terminate at the end of this financial year. The Registers Due to lack of clerical staff and the fact that nurses have failed to notify changes in their occupation and address, it has been very difficult to have an accurate practising register. This year a new method was introduced and the co-operation of all matrons of both public and private hospitals was enlisted to ensure that all registered nurses employed filled in the form of application for their practising certificates. The result of this is as follows, and will be used as a basis for guidance in the future : Practising Certificates issued as at 31st March, 1947 Nurses (one certificate) .. .. .. 1,398 Nursing aids (one certificate) .. .. .. 49 Psychiatric (one certificate) .. .. .. 418 Nurse and psychiatric (two certificates) .. .. 22 Total, non-obstetrical .. .. .. 1,887 Nurse, midwife, and psychiatric (three certificates) .. 2 Nurse, maternity, and psychiatric (three certificates) 6 Maternity and psychiatric (two certificates) .. 1 Nurse and midwife (two certificates) .. .. 768 Nurse and maternity (two certificates) .. .. 1,406 Midwife (one certificate) .. .. .. 250 Maternity (one certificate) .. .. .. 180 Total obstetric .. .. .. 2,613 4,500 Percentage obstetric (excluding psychiatric and nursing aid), 6*85 per cent. Legislation Following on the consolidation of the Nurses and Midwives Act, new regulations governing the training and examination of the various classes of nurses were gazetted. In the case of male nurses, the course of training covers a period of two years and the subject material follows the course of training for nursing aids, only that it pertains to the worjc of the male nurse. The regulations governing the practice of obstetric nurses were also altered, particularly in regard to the use of chloroform as an anaesthetic. Section 18 of the Finance Act, 1946, gave the Hon. Minister of Health power to set up certain Advisory Wages Boards which would prescribe wages and conditions of work for those employees of a hospital not covered by an award. The Government has approached the New Zealand Registered Nurses' Association to nominate five members of the profession who will represent the various ranks of nurses employed by Hospital Boards to represent them on the Nurses' Board.

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