The workhouse and its medical officer / by Alfred Sheen.

  • Sheen, Alfred.
Date:
1890
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The workhouse and its medical officer / by Alfred Sheen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    It is most important that the nurses, so far as their work is concerned, should he entirely under the direction of the Medical Officer, and the Superintendent Nurse. It is equally important that there should be one Head Nurse and so many Under-Nurses, the latter to have no specially defined duties, but to obey the orders of the Medical Officer and Head Nurse im- plicitly. The Superintendent Nurse should have the entire management of the hospital, with the approval and under the control of the Medical Officer and the Board of Guardians. It is only in this way that the evils of divided authority can be avoided, and the work of the hospital satisfactorily carried on. Our Superintendent Nurse is a lady, thoroughly trained and efficient, and she holds an Obstetric Certificate. She has entire charge, under me, of the other nurses and of the sick. The under-nurses have been trained and receive £25 a year, except the male nurse, whose wages are .£'80. They are also pro- vided with uniform, and of course, with board, lodging and washing. Their rations are liberal, consisting of:—Weekly : 1 lb. sugar, 4 ozs. tea and 2 ozs. coffee (or G ozs. tea), 12 ozs. butter, 1 lb. flour, f lb. cheese, fib. bacon. Daily: fib. meat, lib. potatoes, 1-Alb. bread, A pint milk. These rations can be changed for other food provided the cost is not exceeded. In my opinion the salary of an under-nurse should begin at £20 a year, and gradually rise to £25.