1 THE COLLEGE OF NURSING, LIMITED. 83, PALL MALL LONDON, S.W. April 18th. 1916. Dear Sir, The response to the letter which I addressed on the 1st.
instant to many of the Hospitals, Infirmaries, and Nurse-Training
Schools throughout the Country was so prompt and wide-spread that
at the Conference held a week later at St. Thomas's Hospital more
that two hundred representatives were present from England and
Wales, Scotland and Ireland. I then took the opportunity of ex—
plaining the circumstances which led to the establishment of the
College of Nursing, and I laid stress upon the desire of the Coun—
cil to form as speedily as possible such a Consultative Board as
would be representative of all parts of the United Kingdom and of
all branches of Nursing. The Council has learnt with regret that, as through unavoidable
reasons the notice I was able to give of the Conference was some—
what short and some of the letters miscarried, many Nursing Author—
ities failed to receive my communication in time to take formal ac—
tion upon it. I am, therefore, desired to give expression to the
earnest hope of the Council that your Board of Management may be
pleased within the next month to nominate not more than two Repre—
sentatives upon the Consultative Board of the College, and, as some 2 guide to the lines on which we are working, I am amplifying certain
points in the constitution of the College to which allusion only was
made in my letter of 30th. December, 1915. To the reasons which induced me to lay before the Managers of
Hospitals and Infirmaries proposals for the establishment of a Col—
lege of Nursing at the time I did I need not recur, but I ought per—
haps to say that, whilst it was originally my intention to ask the
Board of Trade to register the College without the word 'Limited',
I found on enquiry that such a proceeding would lead to probable
difficulties and to certain delay, which it was my object to avoid.
Accordingly, the signing of the Memorandum and the Articles of
Association became largely a formal matter, and the original Council
of 15 appointed by the Signatories has already been increased by co—
optation to 23, and may be further enlarged up to 30 Members. A
list of the present Council is enclosed herewith, and I shall be
glad also to furnish on application a copy of the Memorandum and
Articles of Association, which it should be remembered have, in
accordance with the usual practice in these cases, been drawn so as
to give the widest possible powers, and not as a precise indication
of the present or future policy of the College. As I stated in my original letter, we have for the time at least
to rely upon a voluntary scheme of co-operation amongst the Nurse—
Training Schools throughout the Kingdom, but, concurrently with the
activities of the College as regards the training and certification
of Nurses and other women-workers in Hospitals, opportunities will
be taken for friendly conference on the one hand with those who are 3 altogether averse to State interference and on the other with those
Societies whose primary object is the registration of Nurses
by Act of Parliament. To meet Representatives of such Societies
a Registration Committee has already been appointed, and,
whilst it would be idle to ignore the many difficulties which
have to be overcome before the Nursing Profession wins the legal
recognition it deserves, no-one will rejoice more heartily than
myself when, as the outcome of our common efforts, such a degree
of substantial unanimity has been reached within the ranks as
to enable us to present to Parliament an agreed Bill to gain legal
status for the results attained by the combined activities of all
who, working at present on different lines, have as their one ob—
jective the betterment of the Nursing Profession. In these aims
I feel assured that we can rely upon the sympathy and all-important
help of the Medical Profession with which nursing is so closely
allied. Another point upon which I have laid emphasis is that the
College is ultimately to be self-governing. Primarily, it is true,
the scheme is based upon the co-operation of the Matrons and Lady
Superintendents of the leading Nursing Schools, whose knowledge and
experience in matters of curriculum and examination, supported and
amplified by the work of the Consultative and Examination Boards,
are made use of to initiate the undertaking. Accordingly the ori—
ginal Council has been thus nominated and co-opted, but in 1918, and
every year afterwards, one-third of the members retire from office,
and vacancies are filled by the votes of the Members of the College, 4 i.e. from the general body of Nurses upon the Register. To ensure
for them an effective influence in the result there is provision
for a postal vote, not dependent upon personal attendance at the
Annual Ordinary Meeting at which elections to the Council are made.
Whilst, therefore, the College in its early years will be largely
guided by the experience of the Heads of the various Training
Schools who form a majority of the first Council, it will, when
it attains maturity, become broad-based and democratic in consti—
tution. The third and fourth points upon which I have insisted are:
uniformity of curriculum, and the one-portal system of examination,
and it is just in these matters that the Council feels the urgent
necessity of help and counsel from Nursing Schools, from the Medical
Profession, from Nursing Associations, and from Nurses in the active
practice of their calling. The solidarity of the Nursing Profession being a matter of
paramount importance, it is essential that there should be only one
Certificate of General Training for all Nurses wherever trained.
At the present time, however, the Nurses of the best London and
Provincial Hospitals and Infirmaries are able to make a living on
the reputation of the Nursing Certificates they hold from their own
Schools, and thus have comparatively little inducements to enter for,
and incidentally to pay fees for, any further qualifying Examina—
tion. Hence the importance to the scheme of the countenance and
active participation in the Authorities of the leading Nurse— 5 Training Schools, and hence the provision, under stringent safe—
guards as to standard, for accepting the internal Examinations of
recognised Schools as qualifying for the Certificates of Profi—
ciency to be granted by the College. Moreover, such a concession
avoids excessive centralisation, whilst it gives an incentive to
backward Institutions to improve their curricula, teaching facili—
ties, and tests, so that they may gain the status of recognised
Schools, and thus be saved the necessity of sending their Nurses
elsewhere to sit for the College Examination. In view of the inclusion of the whole of the United Kingdom in
the Scheme, and the geographical difficulties thus introduced,
power is taken in the Articles of Association to establish Local
Boards, which may exercise in their respective areas 'any of the
powers, authorities, and discretions for the time being vested in
the Council', and some progress has already been made in regard to
Scotland. Reverting to the constitution and functions of the Consulta—
tive Board, for which, as I have already said, the Council now
invite your Managers to nominate not more than two persons, I would
remark that under the Articles of Association, it is to consist of
'such number of persons as the Council shall from time to time de—
termine', and to be 'elected from amongst Physicians, Surgeons,
Hospital Matrons and Principal Officers, Superintendents of Nursing,
Trained Nurses, and persons interested in the relations between
Nurses and the Public'. Amongst the functions assigned to the 6 Consultative Board are :— (1) To deliberate in regard to any question submitted to it by the
Council, and to report to the Council the result of the consulta—
tion thereon. (2) On the initiative of any Member of the Consultative Board to
consider, if thought advisable, any subject within the scope of the
Memorandum of Association; and, if thought advisable, to report
thereon to the Council. In order to ensure for the Consultative Board the fullest pos—
sible influence and the authority in the College compatible with the
position of the Council as the Governing Body, it is laid down that
the Council shall always invite and receive a Report from the Con—
sultative Board before coming to a determination upon any of the
following matters, viz:— (1) The courses of study and technical training for persons
intended for the Nursing Profession. (2) The conditions under which recognition may be extended to
Nursing Schools. For facilitating the work of the Consultative Board the Council
has formed a Consultative Committee, with power to add to its num—
bers from amongst persons appointed to the Board, so that business
may be put before the full Board in such a way as not to make too
great claims upon the time of its Members, many of whom can only
give occasional attendance in London. From what has been said it will be evident that the work of the 7 Board is chiefly of a professional character, but Managers of Hos—
pitals may find that the revision of Nursing curricula entails
extra expense in the matter of lectures, class-rooms, and proper
facilities for study. Consequently some representation of the
Lay element in the management of Hospitals and Infirmaries appears
to me to be desirable, in order that this point of view may receive
due attention at the deliberations of the Board. Until it is seen what response is made to this invitation, the
Council is not in a position to elect the Consultative Board, or to
fix its number, but, if the nominations are too numerous for effi—
cient working, it may be necessary either to make a selection
amongst them or to formulate some plan for representation on the
Board by groups or districts. This, however, will be a matter for
subsequent consideration, and meanwhile it is most important that
as little time as possible should elapse before attacking some at
least of the many problems which await solution before the College
can take its place as the Central Organization of the Nursing Pro—
fession throughout the United Kingdom. Again apologising for any inadvertent error in the transmission
of my previous communications, and requesting the favour of an early
reply, I am, dear Sir,
Yours sincerely, Arthur Stanley
Chairman of the Council. 8 Letter from Mr Stanley
April 18, 1916
Re Meeting of
Consultation Board
of College