Some Observations by Nurses Visiting England

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume IV, Issue 1, 1 January 1911, Page 28

Some Observations by Nurses Visiting England

During my stay m England I saw the great need for some new organisation for the protection of the nursing profession, and realised how much State registration has done towards keeping up the standard of nursing m New Zealand.

There is practically no protection for the trained nurse m England. Women with little or no training at all get work as easily as those holding hospital certificates. The majority of the medical men and trained nurses are making a big fight for State registration, and the public are at last waking up to the fact that they are often defrauded, and instead of having skilled nursing for cases of illness, are often attended by ignorant women.

Private nurses* fees are small, probably owing to the fierce competition between the trained and the untrained nurse. Hospitals and private nursing homes give paltry salaries of from /25 to £30 a year.

Many of the women who wear uniforms and pass for nurses are not only untrained, but unprincipled, wicked women : It is hard to believe till brought face to face with it all, how largely the nursing profession is used as a cloak for the most scandalous and wicked practice, namely, the ' ' white slave traffic." Many of the so-called nursing homes and massage homes m London, are places where young girls are enticed by advertisements for probationers, offering good salaries and good homes. The heads of these so-called " homes J: are women under the control of men concerned m the " white slave traffic."

The most pitiful and revolting tales are told of the treatment of innocent girls by these traffickers. Once m the hands of these people there is no means of escape, and they are kept m London, or shipped to other countries where the traffic is carried on.

State registration for nurses, and inspection of nursing homes by proper authorities would assist m preventing this shocking practice, and protect the nursing profession. " Nurse."

State Registration for Nurses

I was rather surprised to rind that a great many English nurses know little, and care less, about registration ; but those who are m favour of it (and the number is increasing) are very enthusiastic. It seemed to me that where the hospitals were concerned the opinion of the head of each institution was also held by the staff.

I think everyone knows that Mrs. Bedford Fenwick is the great advocate of the cause, and she works with untiring zeal and energy. We had an opportunity of hearing Mr. Sydney Holland, who is very much against registration, give his views on the matter. Mr. Holland seemed to think if nurses were State registered it would be a guarantee of their permanent fitness, and, said he : "A nurse might become fond of drugs ; drink ; she might become ' dotty, ' oi she would perhaps even develop a cough (poor nurse), and there w T ould be no remedy, as she was a ' registered nurse/ Then again, some nurses would find it difficult to realise where their work ended and the doctor's began. (As a rule it is the untrained ones who err here) ." The other speakers, who numbered among them several doctors, spoke m favour of the Bill.