HC Deb 09 December 1943 vol 395 cc1146-7W
Mr. Rostron Duckworth

asked the Minister of Health whether he is taking any steps to ensure that all nurses benefit by the increased scales of pay in the two Rushcliffe Reports; and whether he will call for a detailed statement from local authorities in the new year as to their action in the matter?

Mr. Willink

Circulars have been sent to the authorities concerned commending the recommendations of the Nurses' Salaries Committee and offering an Exchequer grant in respect of any increased expenditure involved in their adoption. From information available in my Department I am satisfied that the recommendations in the first report of the Committee are being generally adopted, and I hardly think that I should be justified in putting authorities to the trouble of making the special returns suggested.

Mr. Messer

asked the Minister of Health why a matron of a public assistance institution who, by the terms of her appointment has to be a State registered nurse, is placed in an inferior position to other State registered nurses in the application of the Rushcliffe recommendations?

Mr. Willink

I presume my hon. Friend has in mind the fact that whilst the Nurses' Salaries Committee have made recommendations about matrons of public assistance institutions who are also superintendent nurses or head nurses, they have not made recommendations about other matrons of public assistance institutions. The duties of such matrons are mainly of a non-nursing character and it would not in my view be appropriate that they should be dealt with by a committee which is fixing the salaries for nurses employed in nursing work.

Mr. Messer

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the recommendations of the Hetherington Committee accentuate the anomalies of the Rushcliffe recommendations; and whether he proposes to take any steps to improve the salaries of certain grades of nurses?

Mr. Willink

I cannot accept the suggestion that the recommendations of the Hetherington Committee affect the scales recommended for nurses by the Nurses' Salaries Committee, which were arrived at quite recently after long and detailed negotiations. I do not propose to reopen this matter at the present time.