Report of Departmental Committee on the Training and Employment of Midwives.
- Great Britain. Ministry of Health. Department Committee on the Training and Employment of Midwives.
- Date:
- 1929
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report of Departmental Committee on the Training and Employment of Midwives. Source: Wellcome Collection.
35/100 page 33
![policy of the Queen’s Institute and of county nursing associa- tions generally is to charge the ordinary fee of the district, and where an actual case of “‘ undercutting ’’ the fees of independ- ent midwives is brought to their notice, steps are taken to remedy the matter locally, if possible. 03. Most village nurse midwives act in the dual capacity of midwife and district nurse. In several county areas the County Council is accustomed to utilise their services for the purpose of health visiting and/or school nursing duties. It is possible as a rule to arrange for them to be relieved in an emergency either by a colleague practising in a neighbouring district, or by a member of the special staff of emergency midwives retained for this and other purposes by every county nursing association. Sometimes when the district is reasonably populous and compact and provides enough work to keep two nurse midwives occupied, one is responsible for the district nursing and the other for midwifery. In such cases relief during emergency and for off-duty times can without dislocation be arranged. The same holds good with regard to districts where more than two nurse midwives are working together. There is, on the other hand, often acute difficulty in relieving the nurse midwife working alone, with no other within easy reach, on the occasions when she is ill or needs a rest. The emergency staff kept by the county nursing association is usually not large enough to provide regular relief and the midwife has perforce to wait until a deputy can be provided, when a longer period off duty is allowed in compensation. It is understood that the off-duty time, both for Queen’s nurses and for village nurse midwives, is one month in every year, together with one half day per week and a ‘‘ week- end occasionally.’ 54. We understand that at the present time about 34 county nursing associations have initiated a pensions scheme for village nurse midwives; others have the matter under consideration. By joining at an early age the nurse midwife can secure a super- annuation payment. of from £45 to £50 a year on attaiming the age of 55. Pension rights are now usually transferable if any particular nurse midwife moves from one county to another. The Queen’s Institute has also a separate scheme termed ‘‘ The Long Service Fund ’’ for Queen’s nurses, whereby each nurse is entitled to a small annuity of £30 a year on retiring after 21 year’s service. 'This Fund is non-contributory, and has been found of value, particularly for those who entered the service of the Queen’s Institute before the establishment of superannua- tion schemes. Al] Queen’s nurses and village nurse midwives are insured under the National Health Insurance Acts. During sickness they are for a limited period allowed full salary by the nursing association concerned, the sickness or disablement benefit due to them in respect of health insurance being usually deducted before the salary is paid.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32173489_0035.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
