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All this makes real nursing of the sick at home the most expensive kind of nursing at present.
Yet no one would wish to convey the whole sick population into hospital, even were it possible, and even if it did not often break up the poor man's home.
In one case Miss Lees' trained nursing enabled the parish doctor to perform a very serious operation in the woman's own home, whereby the parish was saved a guinea a week, and the poor woman's home was saved from being broken up.[1]
But all this costs money. The District Nurses cost money, and the District Home costs money. Each district nurse must have, before she is qualified:—
- A month's trial in district work.
- A year's training in hospital nursing.
- Three months' training in district nursing, under the Superintendent-General.
Each District Home must have a superintendent, who initiates and supervises the nurses' work. Moreover, only a limited number of nurses can be placed in one District Home, for more would be too far from their work. The multiplication of homes will cost money.
For anything like a 'National,' or even a 'Metropolitan' concern, a capital of £20,000 and an income of £5,000 a year are wanted.
Of this a great part is wanted at once—
- To set on foot three District Homes;
- To pay and maintain their superintendents, nurses and probationers;
- To create a hospital training-school in which to train.
What has been done at present to establish one District
- ↑ All proper cases are removed to hospital: but some will not consent to go. And the large majority of these cases are cases which would not be admitted into hospital, e.g. consumption, incurable cancer, or paralysis, or ulcerated legs, &c., but would if not nursed at home, be sent, at the expense of the parish, into the workhouse infirmary.
