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Papers: List of Papers 2002-05 |
Church Street, Skerries . P. Flavin |
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The Jubilee Nurses |
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Our talk for May was given by Kay Rooney. The paper entitled "The Jubilee Nurses" was very informative. We learned that the nurses who trained under a scheme established in 1887 were known as Queen Victoria's Jubilee Nurses. Jubilee Nurses became well known and highly respected figures throughout the country. Their bicycles, with a basket on the front and a carrier at the back to accommodate their nursing bags were very recognisable. Wearing of uniform was strictly enforced. Many nurses wore a cape due to the considerable amount of time they spent on bicycles. In Skerries the Jubilee Nurse was given accommodation by the Jubilee Committee and a small personal monetary allowance. Her working patch would have covered Skerries parish. She would have received her daily nursing calls from the dispensary doctor and the jubilee committee. The 1956 Health Act was the instrument used to facilitate the amalgamation of all nursing services to bring about a comprehensive public health nursing service. Most of the nurses serving in the community became registered Public Health Nurses during the 1960s. |
Now the Public Health Nurse is a member of a multi-disciplinary team serving the local community. She also assists the area medical officer at the developmental clinics. The workload of the Jubilee, district, and public health nurses has always been heavy. Because of the great demands for clinical space at the Health Centre the nurses' office is very overcrowded with poor ventilation. The windows barely open and it is a fire hazard. It is situated upstairs and there are no canteen facilities. The situation has been reported many times. Some health centres have top of the range facilities, but not dear old Skerries. Kay told us that she was a P.H.N. in Skerries from 1992 to 2003. She really enjoyed working among the people here. Their goodwill she will never forget. She was also very grateful to her nursing colleagues who contributed to her research for this paper. (Summary by John Harte)
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