Nurses Day - Thora Silverthorne

Why Florence Nightingale Must Die

Today, according to the International Congress of Nurses (ICN)


Is International Nurses Day

It is presently held on the birthday of Florence Nightingale

This is our response:-

Kick Over The Statues

WE REPORT THE LONG OVER DUE DEATH OF FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
By Michael Walker UNISON Nursing Officer for Nursing Times April1999


All over Eastern Europe statues of Lenin are being taken off their pedestals (1999), dismantled and hauled off to be cut up. It is in the same vein that the nursing profession must, as we enter the new millennium, start to exorcise the myth of Florence Nightingale. Not necessarily because Florence Nightingale was a very bad person, but because the impact of her legacy or more correctly the interpretation of that legacy has held the nursing profession back too long.


The Nightingale myth had from it’s earliest days been appropriated by the nursing hierarchy and the founders of the Royal College of Nursing who colluded with them, to use it to sell any vocational, self sacrificing ideal required for the good of the service and not the good of nursing.

As a result of the Nightingale myth, the leadership of nursing in Britain for the best part of this century has stressed "vocation" and subordination to the medical profession and cast nursing as somehow non political. We cannot progress until we break from the yoke of the Nightingale myth.

We must ask ourselves as nurses why it is that the medical professional still dominates health care. Why very few nurses are in the political arena (it is only with the 1997 General Election that we have had nurses elected to parliament). And why nursing trade unionism has not made more of an impact. A consequence of these failings has been that nurses remain professionally impotent and nurses pay lags behind that of other "organised" professions in the UK and nurses pay in other western nations.

The failure of British nursing to meet its potential, I would contend, is the ever present Florence Nightingale, whose views, whether based on myths or reality, has stopped nursing from progressing into a profession in its own right. What is clear, is that the British establishment sought from the very origins of modern nursing to sanitise nursing, and ensure that its heroine would be acceptable: a white, English, middle class, protestant women.

Florence Nightingale fulfilled this role admirably, unlike Irish catholic nurses such as Joanna Bridgeman and Jamaican nurses like Mary Seacole who made an equally important contribution to nursing during the Crimea War. Neither of these has been officially credited for their efforts.

It was Joanna Bridgeman who developed the system of nursing and management that Florence Nightinglae adopted, while the efforts of the black Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole in the Crimea were cold shouldered. What is equally interesting to note is that it was probably the Quaker, Elizabeth Fry, who has greatest claim to the title founder of modern nursing with her pioneering work at St John's hospital by her Institution of Nursing Sisters, a number of years before Florence Nightingale embarked upon her endeavours. So maybe international nurse’s day should be celebrated on her birthday, the 21st May.

Once the Nightingale myth and her status as a Saint had been confirmed by the British establishment, Florence Nightingale set about turning out her robotic acolytes from the St Thomas School of Nursing from 1860 onwards, soon capturing the role of matrons in most major hospitals. Ehrenreich & English encapsulated this well in following quote: ‘Training emphasised character, not skills. The finished product, the Nightingale nurse, was simply the ideal lady …absolved of reproductive responsibilities.

To the doctor, she brought the wifely virtue of absolute obedience. To the patient, she brought the selfless devotion of a mother. To the lower level hospital employees, she brought the firm but kindly discipline of a household manager accustomed to dealing with servants’. Abel-Smith sates: "The power (of matrons) was reinforced by the para-military organisation of the nursing staff and the rigid discipline imposed in the training schools. As Miss Nightingale said rather ominously "No good ever comes of anyone interfering between the head of nursing establishment and her nurses. It is fatal to discipline". The control of the matrons over her nurses was to play a crucial role in future attempts to enrol nurses in professional organisations or trade unions".

No wonder Ann Widdecombe (supported by RCN General secretary Christine Hancock) called for the return of the Matron at last year’s Tory party conference. Florence Nightingale supported the subordinate role of nurses to doctors, opposed registration of nurses, three year training of nurses, did not see mental health nurses as part of nursing, and had questionable success at her hospital in the Crimea, she also turned her back on the fine history of lay women healers, not to mention her opposition to women speaking in public..

Nurses are increasingly beginning to challenge the Nightingale myth. Today’s nurses, especially our UNISON nursing students are much more questioning, much more involved in campaigning and much more willing to stand up for their rights and pushing the bounderies of our professional role. This development can only be a good thing as nursing enters the new millennium. Nurses of the world unite you have nothing to lose but your chains By Michael Walker UNISON Nursing student Officer and Wendy Wheeler RGN RHV

NUCO Guild of Nurses 1937

NUCO GUILD OF NURSES

 The badge of NUCO Guild of Nurses (estb 1937) with the Justicia symbol a remnant of the older Poor Law Workers Union. 

 The National Union of County Officers (NUCO) Guild of Nurses was established at an inaugural meeting held at St Pancras Town Hall, London on 26th November 1937 with an audience of 500 nurses. The Guild of Nurses from the start took on a pro active campaign to highlight the plight of general nurses, unlike the (Royal) College of Nursing which maintained that better pay and conditions would on lead to the "wrong type" of girl entering nursing. 

MASKED NURSES DEMONSTRATION 1938

The Guild of Nurses organised meeting, street demonstrations and disrupting meetings (such as that at the London county Council). On the 4th April 1938 a small group of masked nurses in uniform with placards dared to march through central London, the next day at 3pm on 5th April the small group had been joined by a further eight female nurses (making 12 masked nurses in white uniforms). They were stopped and turned away by Police when they tried to march down Fleet Street (The home of the British Newspapers). 

The demonstration received massive press and newsreel coverage. This was the first time "general nurses" had taken their grievances to the streets. The first Guild of Nurses organiser's were Councillor Beatrice Drapper and Iris Brook (nee Iris Beynon) followed by Doris Westmacott.

Filmed by Movietone

First Chairman of the Guild of Nurses was Tudor O Morgan (St David's - Cardiff) followed by Doris Westmacott (Mile End)

NUCO established a nursing section in April 1933

COHSE Guilds Circa 1947

COHSE Rule 8.—COHSE GUILDS.

(i) Members of the Union shall be further classified into Guilds, to ensure that the professional and. special interests, which are not common to all members, are preserved and secured. Members shall, therefore, be classified into the following Guilds ;—

(a) Clerical and Administrative Guild.

(b) Guild of Nurses.

(c) Guild of Mental Nurses and Mental Deficiency Nurses.

(d) Medical Services Guild.

(e) Ambulance Services Guild.

(f) General Health Service Employees'Guild.

(g) Voluntary Hospitals Guild, pending the introduction of some scheme of complete unification as envisaged by the Government's proposals.

(ii) Each Regional Council, when established, shall consider the development of the Guild system, and in such cases as the membership demand, permission shall be given for any of the Guilds within the Region to establish a small representative Committee of the members of the Guild to advise the Regional Council or its Executive Committee on any matter peculiar to the particular Guild. Such Committees may submit resolutions to the Regional Council or Regional Executive Committee for consideration. It must be clearly defined that vital questions of policy affecting the Union as a National entity are not to be considered by these Committees, but by the established Branches and Regional Councils.

(iii) Separate Guild Branches are not to be established. The whole of the membership in any Hospital, Institution, or Department is to be contained in the one established Branch. It shall be. the duty of the established Branch to appoint, as far as practicable, Sectional or Guild Collectors, and to ensure that on the Branch Executive Committee direct representation of the section is afforded, based on membership.

(iv). The rational Executive Committee shall be empowered to receive a deputation from any of the established Guilds on matters solely related to the professional or special interests of the particular Guild.

(v) The National Executive Committee shall be empowered, in such particular Guild as it feels necessary", to establish a small National Advisory Committee of such Guild, consisting of representatives of the Regions for the purpose of acting as an advisory Committee to the National Executive Committee or, for any particular Guild on any specific issue arising, to call a representative conference of regional representatives of the particular Guild concerned.

Guild of Nurses Rally November 1939

Persecutions Drive Nurses to revolt

Daily Mirror 17^th November 1939

TRAINED nurses are in revolt. They are leaving their profession in hundreds rather than put up with the petty persecutions, the hardships and injustices they are being made to suffer.

Women whose skilled work is vital to the country in war are going as shop and on to the land.

These allegations were made at a meeting called by the NUCO, Guild of Nurses in London yesterday (16th November 1939) by Mr. Reginald Ruttledge, an official of the NUCO Guild of Nurses.

" When the men have gone to France and they need women bus conductors we shall see nurses doing this work," he said.

The nurses' two main grievances are:

(1) The way in which non-resident trained staff in London County Council hospitals are being forced to become resident with a considerable reduction in salary; and

(2) The growing unemployment among trained nurses which is largely the result of evacuation and is being aggravated by the fact that members of the Auxiliary Nursing Service are replacing trained nurses in the hospitals.

Mr. George Vincent Evans, general secretary of the NUCO, pointed out that a non-resident nurse might be receiving a wage of £180 per annum. When she became resident her wage dropped to £80 or £90, dependent on service. Reductions lor superannuation also took a further toll

This was causing exceptional hardship among nurses who were having to pay the rents of their flats or were obliged to store their furniture. The London County Council had refused to undertake the responsibility for the storage of furniture or for the payment of rent of flats or rooms.

Mr. Miller, Secretary of the London District Nursing Association, protested against the way in which trained nurses were being re-placed by auxiliary nurses.

" We shall find," he said, " that the trained nurses who are now being Ignored will be called upon to attend the auxiliary nurses who will be suffering from shock." (Laughter.)

Training Stopped

Young probationers' training had stopped as a result of the war, it was stated. Many had been drafted to new hospitals out of London, where there were only about half- a-dozen patients and no sister tutors.

Condemning the low salaries of trained nurses. Nurse Askey said that two men at her first aid post who had tailed in their examination were nevertheless receiving £2, 18s. 6d., the salary which she, as a trained nurse, was recieving

A resolution vas carried expressing "profound resentment" at the indifferent manner in which trained nurses, nurses in training and assistant nurses were being treated. :

A special committee of registered nurses was appointed by the committee to consider what further steps should be taken, and to arrange a deputation to the Minister of Health.

Daily Mirror 17^th November 1939

Iris Brook Nurse & SMA Activist

Iris Brook (Iris Beynon) born Bedwellty, South Wales 21st January 1903 was a Registered Nurse and Midwife (trained at Barts, where she meet Charles Brook) wife of Dr Charles Brook, (A GP from South East London) London County Council Labour Councillor and founder member of the Socialist Health Association activists Appointed temporary organiser for the National Union of County Officers (NUCO), Guild of Nurses in 1936, (later deputy to Beatrice Drapper) and as such led with Beatrice the first campaign for improved conditions for primarily general nurses 1937. The Royal college of Nursing opposing improvements on the grounds that they would bring the wrong kind of girls into nursing was involved in the first nurses
demonstration in Fleet street when "Uniformed nurses carrying sandwich boards and wearing black masks first descended on an astonished London" active in the Socialist Medical Association herself, involved in the Aid to Spain Movement, her husband was secretary Iris colleagues included Thora Silverthorne of the National Association of Nurses, who she stood with on a number of occasions for election to the General Nurses Council

Lived at Mottingdeane, High Road, Mottingham, London SE9

Died 1984

Patrick McHugh - St Pancras Hospital

Patrick McHugh

Born in Ireland 45 years service

Chief Male Nurse at St Pancras Hospital (Observation Unit - psychiatric )

Joined The National Union of County Officers (NUCO) union (Later COHSE)  in 1925. He took a leading part in the early struggles to improve nursing service conditions and was part of the first public demonstration by nurses, when NUCO nurses took part in the "raid on the LCC", when leaflets were thrown into London County Council chamber to highlight LCC Nurses grievances. Patrick also took part in the famous "masked demonstration" by NUCO uniformed nurses, who march down Fleet Street on the 5th April 1938 with sandwich boards stating "we demand fair pay" and a 48 hour week.

speaking in February 1937 Patrick McHugh for NUCO stated

"that the Nursing Executive of the National Union of County Officers were unanimously of opinion that nursing of the Chronic Sick should be done by fully trained nurses. If employing authorities could be persuaded to give more reasonable rates of pay, shorter working hours, and improved conditions, it would go a long -way towards removing the difficulty in obtaining the general trained nurse."

Probably trained initially in Dublin 

Served in France in the RAMC in WW1

A member of NUCO's National Executive Committee

Considered  "A remarkable gift of oratory"

his motto was "Let this day pass no one by"

Member of the board of Governors at the National hospital, Queen's Square

Retired 1952

Died June 29th 1954

Possible

Born 15th May 1887 at Abbeyleix, Laois, Ireland to Thomas McHugh and Mary Keelly. Patrick McHugh married Mary Nevin and had 5 children. 

He passed away on 29th June 1954 in Pancras, London, England.

 

COHSE Journal