(4.) Female Nurses not to be Substitutes for Orderlies.
(4.) The introduction of Female Nurses into Military Hospitals is not intended to supply the place of Orderlies, but to perform a class of duties which never has been performed at all in the Army. Few other Hospital duties of those generally called such have been hitherto fulfilled, in Military Hospitals, except
- diet-carrying,
- sweeping,
- and writing.
(5.) Naval Hospitals Regulation Number of Attendants 1 to 7 Patients.
(5.) In all Naval Hospitals, the Regulation number of attendants is 1 to every 7 patients, or 2 attendants for each ward containing more than 7 patients and up to 14. These Attendants or Nurses, in sailor’s language, have charge of the linen, bedding, and ward furniture, under the Ward Matron, and they are responsible for the proper care of the sick, and the due administration of the medicine, wine, and other medical comforts. They are on duty all day and watch at night in their turn, which is regulated by the Medical Officer in charge of the ward, in this or similar fashion:—a group of three contiguous wards is allotted during the night to two nurses, one begins her duty at 9 and ends at 1 o’clock, when she is relieved by another, who watches till 6. She patrols the three wards, resting in that one where there may be a case requiring more than ordinary attention. If there should be a case of fever, delirium, or other sharp seizure, extra Nurses, both men and women, are assigned to the charge of that special case, according to the urgency of its wants. The great majority of Naval patients are either convalescent, or suffering from trivial complaints, which do not impair their activity. They can therefore take care of themselves, and assist the Nurse during the day in cleaning the wards, &c.—and we know what good housemaids seamen make. The Nurses are paid one shilling a night for night watching. They have under the most severe circumstances two-and-a-half nights in bed for half a night out of bed.
At Haslar Naval Hospital the system of Orderlies, as understood from the Principal Medical Officer, is as follows:—12 Orderlies are on a floor, to look after, say, 90 patients. These are divided for night duty into three divisions of 4 each; of these 4—
- 2 are on from 9 to 2, A. M.
- 2 are on from 2 to 8.
The Head-Quarter room or ward is the one which has the most severe cases; this ward, then, the Watcher at night sits in, and makes the rounds of the others every now and then to see if anything is required. This system will of course be modified, according to the nature of the cases in Hospital. The other attendants do not sleep in the wards. The Nurses are male or female according to the discretion of the Principal Medical Officer.
Civil Hospitals have even 9 Attendants to 44 Patients.
In Civil Hospitals the number is as great of attendants to patients, and is mainly determined by the size of the ward: