Report of the Departmental Committee appointed by the Local Government Board to enquire into the nursing of the sick poor in workhouses.
- Great Britain. Departmental Committee on Workhouse Nursing.
- Date:
- 1902
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Report of the Departmental Committee appointed by the Local Government Board to enquire into the nursing of the sick poor in workhouses. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.
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![3 22. (Mr. Grant Lawson.) That is the difficulty, and the question is now, can these difficulties be met. Can we now proceed to the question of training:; of proba- tioners or have you anything further to say on this ? Perhaps the other members of the Committee would like to put some questions to the witness ? 23. (Mr. Knollys.) Have you any evidence that the same difficulty arises in town workhouses as in country workhouses ? Did you find that applicants would go to the large town workhouses, but did not care to go to country workhouses ?—They are more willing certainly to go to larger workhouses. 24. But do they refuse to go to the country work- houses.''—We have not been supplying nurses for the last two years, but we know from Guardians that it is practically impossible to get nurses in country work- houses. 25. But the difficulty is not s» great in town work- houses?—I will tell you about the Bristol Board of Guardians. 26. I want to take the matter general!}'. Is the diffi- culty general, or should you think it applies only to country workhouses ?—The difficulty is general. 27. Is it as great in the town as the country ?—Not so great in the town as the country. 28. But still you had difficulty in supplying town workhouses as well as the country ?—It was never so great; the rural workhouses were a great difficulty. 29. But should you say there was difficulty in towns? —It would depend upon the conditions. If the number of patients in charge was too large, or if there were other objections, such as sharing rooms, etc., it would bo rery difficult to get nurses. 30. But there was always a sufficient supply if the conditions were satisfactory and suitable?—Yes, I should say there was a sufficient sujDply of nurses ; not always of the highest class—but a sufficient supply. 31. Therefore if the conditions were suitable the diffi- culty would apply to country workhouses but not to town ?—More generally to country workhouses. I cannot speak more definitely, because I think one must take the conditions of each workhouse. 32. But suppose all things were satisfactory', did you ever find that there were circumstances which would induce a nurse to say I won't go to that workhouse 1 —Yes; take the case of St. George-in-the-East, which we supplied for many years ; there were often difficulties of supjjly there, because of the situation. 33. That was a special difficulty. But given the con- ditions as being quite good, there was no trouble in getting nurses?—No, practically there was no difficulty at that time if the conditions were quite good. 34. Do you find any difference between workhouses with a separate infirmary and workhouses with the in- firmary in the main building?—Yes, you see two kinds of infirmaries require two different classes of nurses. The separate infirmaries require an ordinary nurse for £25 a year, and that was quite easy to obtain ; they were trained for that class of work. The non-separate workhouses wanted as a rule another type of nurse, with midwifery training; we ha'i that type, but in a less number. If the infirmaries were separate from the workhouses it would not be so difficult. 35. Do nurses show a preference for certain work- houses ? Do they refuse to go to one when they would go to others 1—Distinctly a preference. A bad reputa- tion would make them not wish to go to a certain work- house. 35. Have you had any complaints from nurses as to the food given in workhouses?—Very frequently. 37. And as to cooking?—Very frequently. 38. And as to service?—Very often. 39. And as to number of patients ?—^Yes, often. 40. And as to want of vacation?—Yes, the holiday is often very short, and the time off duty limited and uncertain. 41. And as to their being obliged to do menial work ? —They have often said that they had to do menial work, and they have complained of having to leave their nursing work often for menial work, and that this makes it impossible for them to do their nursing properly. They have been asked to perform many duties—such as receiving female tramps and bathing'the same, which would take them from their wards. 6581. 42. And you have had a difficulty in supplying nurses ]\[iss Wilson. to workhouses, although the nurses have been tiiere 7— We have often had nurses refuse country posts one after another. 43. You have had the nurses, but they were not willing to go ?—Yes, but you have not summed up all the difficulties. 44. Do they complain as to the character of the cases ? —-I do not think so, if a nurse has been trained to in- firmary work she knows what it will be like. 45. Do they complain as to the want of surgical cases ? —When the other conditions are good they do not mind that so much. 46. Have they complained that workhouse nursing is very dull and monotonous ?—Of course there are a large number of chronic cases, but I think that if a nurse has been well trained she has learnt that such cases require quite as high a standard of nursing as the more acute cases. 47. You do not think that that has added lo the diffi- culty of obtaining nurses ?—It is oiae of the objections, one of the difficulties, but not by any means one of liie most prominent. I think there should be sufficient nurses to meet that difficulty, but of course hospital nurses object more than infirmary nurses to chronic cases—they find the work more monotonous. 48. But do not all nurses wish to qualify themselves for hospital work. You draw a distinction between these two classes. Do you propose to make two classes ? —1 should be sorry to do so. 1 wmuIj that if a service of Poor Law nurses was created it would attract a slightly different type of women. 49. Do they complain of the want of society, or of the lack of opportunity to extend their knowledge ?—When there has been only one nurse in a country workhouse she has complained of being very lonely ; they often complain that there is no one to associate with. As to the opportunity of attending nursing lectures, or any- thing of that sort, that is quite hopeless ; they would never think of complaining of such drawbacks in country posts, because they knew before they went they would be m a quiet place. 50. Have they complained mucli of the number o£ cases they had to attend to ?—Yes, they have complained of the large number. 51. Have you ever formed an opinion as to the number tliey ought to attend to ?—My opinion is quite in accordance with Dr. Downes' memorandum—10 to 15 cases. 52. Therefore, if there were 30 cases in an infirmary you think there should be two nurses ?—Yes, the night duty suffers if there are not two. 53. Do you think the confinement is greater than in hospitals ?—Certainly, much greater. 54. They get more going out in hospitals ?—Yes, much, more. 55. You think if regulation hours could be kept in workhouses it would help ?—Yes, it would help them very much to have a fixed time off duty. It is very difficult to an-ange, but I think it can be arranged. It is very important for the nurses' health, and^for the good of the patients 56. You think it is one of the reasons ?—Yes, it is one of the reasons. Nurses know that in country work- houses their time off is very limited. I have known nurses not out for a fortnight—not able to go beyond the wards at all. 57. Have you formed any idea as to the rate of pay which they ousjht to have?—I think the rate of pay which is offered to superintendent nurses is very fair indeed. They never begin at a lower salary than £30, often £35, and in large places £40. It think it is fair.' 58. Now as to ordinary nurses. I know a case in which Guardians advertised for a nurse at £25 a year, risinc £1 annually, to £30. They could not get them. They tlien raised the pay to £23, rising by £2 annually, to £32, and they have got a nurse ?—Do you know if these nurses remained? Because our experience is that a higher salary attracts nurses to begin with, but they do not remain, unless the conditions are bettered. 59. I cannot speak as to that. Do they complain of not being able to visit their friends or not being wble to have their friends to see them?—Those complaint.s are very infrequent indeed. There are cases certainly, but not very often. A 2](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21357687_0055.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
