Report of the Working Party on the Recruitment and Training of Nurses.

Date:
1947
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Working Party on the Recruitment and Training of Nurses. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/132 (page 4)
    ' and in all types of institution. We have visited and carried out various inquiries _ and tests in over 200 hospitals—Voluntary and Municipal General, Maternity, Public Health, Poor Law, Mental and Tuberculosis—in every part of England, Scotland and Wales. This large, diverse and widely scattered group was chosen statistically and may be taken as a representative sample of the hospital nursing services of the nation. CHARTER: TY Number of Nurses 25. Pre-war position. In 1938 there were in the hospitals* of Great Britain 46-7 thousand trained nurses and midwives, about 43-3 thousand student nurses and pupil midwives, and about 24-3 thousand other nursing staff. By “ trained ” nurses we mean those who have passed the final examination for the general or supplementary registers, State Certified Midwives, and those with the certificate of the Royal Medico-Psychological Association. In public health, private and miscellaneous nursing, other than the Armed Forces, roughly 32-1 thousand trained and some 11-6 thousand other nurses were employed. Thus the grand total of civilian nursing strength, male and female, in Great Britain in 1938 was about 158,000, representing 3-4 per 1,000 of the population. The total number of trained nurses and midwives was about 79,000, representing 1-7 per 1,000 of the population. 26. Registration of nurses in 1943. In 1943 there was a compulsory registration of all nurses and midwives under 60 years of age who had had nursing experience in the preceding 10 years. An analysis of the registration showed that the total number of nurses and midwives, trained and others, in employment in 1943, or who had been recently employed in nursing or midwifery, was about 243,000. This total comprised the following numbers of trained and other nurses :— Trained Nurses and Midwives Thousands In hospitals aS an - ae 50-7 Elsewhere & a i 2 40-0 _ Total es is i 90-7 Students and pupil midwives .. Be 51-0 Assistant and other nurses ie «4 OOF Total ae Ke .. 242-7 ——_— * Excluding about 200 trained and about 200 other nurses in Ministry of Pensions’ hospitals. Unless otherwise stated, these will always be excluded where reference is made to hospitals. ; t+ Including about 34,000 assistant nurses, 30,000 nursing auxiliaries and 13,000 nursing assistants employed or recently employed.