EDITORIAL COMMENT

At a meeting held earlier this week, a rumour which had been circulating in the Hospital for days, and which was highly critical of Nursing Administration, was openly discussed. This permitted the problems involved in a particular decision to be publicly examined.

Unless "unofficial" opinions are aired at "official" meetings the purpose of such meetings can often be defeated - with decisions being based on inaccurate information.

When this is the result, with whom does the responsibility lie - the decision-makers or their sources of information?

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At 3 p.m. this afternoon, Wednesday, 22nd March the Hospital Advisory Service headquarters rang to say that Mr. B. B. Hassell, Administrator, would be joining the Hospital Advisory Service Team which is visiting Winwick from 29th March.

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Social Therapy Review

Last week, Mr. Jolley and Mrs Devine were invited to speak about the department and hospital, in general, at Bewsey Secondary Modern School. They took along a film, prepared and narrated by the department as a visual aid to the talk which was to follow. Apparently, the afternoon was a huge success with an immediate fifteen volunteers to come to the hospital as part of Community Service. This service is a new thing in this area with the children allocating one afternoon per week for serving the community. Many visit hospitals and old people in the district and now Winwick has more than its share of volunteers. Six youngsters already come from Selwyn Jones Comprehensive school on Thursday afternoons and this week the first of the contingent from Bewsey school spent a whole week with us. Sally left us on Friday assuring us that she had thoroughly enjoyed her week and expressing a wish to come back as soon as possible thus proving the success of Public Relations and the knocking down of old barriers in the field of psychiatric hospitals versus public opinion.

Last week the football team had two matches Winwick v. Parkside played at Winwick resulting in a 6 - 4 win for Parkside and the second on Thursday, Winwick v. Deva, played at Deva resulting in a 2 all draw, which boosted withering morale along the team.

K. Appleton.

ANNUAL PRIZEGIVING

The presentation of prizes and hospital certificates took place on Thursday, 16th March in the Recreation Hall.

The proceedings were opened by Alderman L. Ball, who spoke of his regret at leaving the hospital after his years as Chairman of the Winwick and Newchurch Hospital Management Committee.

Miss N. Coppack then gave her report on the Nursing Services. Over the years a high standard of success has been achieved by nurses training in passing their examinations, and she praised the tutorial and ward staff. In the last year, 14 out of 16 student nurses had passed their Final examination, 20 out of 22 had passed their Intermediate, and all eleven pupil nurses had passed their Assessment.

She went on to speak of the progress made over the last twelve months: the introduction of In-Service Training, the extension of post-graduate training, the integration of nursing staff on selected wards, and the new medico-nursing policy which had been introduced last year. A Rehabilitation Committee had recently been set up and a housecraft centre was soon to be opened under the direction of the O.T. staff. In the near future, a nurse would be appointed to organise patients' employment on the lines of a Labour Exchange within the hospital, and discussions were taking place with the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board with regard to the building of a new Industrial Therapy Unit in the hospital.

She added that the domestic services had recently been re-organised, with the appointment of domestic supervisors and the report of the Organisation and Methods Team was eagerly awaited.

Other changes which were impending were the implementation of the recommendations of the Salmon Committee, which would be progressively introduced when Amalgamation of the hospitals into the new Group had taken place; the integration of patients on three wards, scheduled for later this year, and the re-opening of the infirmary wards at the end of April.

Work was continuing on the up-grading of wards and the installation of the new central heating system. New ward furniture had recently been purchased, which brought the amenities on many wards up to a very high standard. Miss Coppack spoke of the successful work carried out by the Joint Consultative Staffs Committee, which included the introduction of a hospital magazine and the relatively painless introduction of the 40 hour week for nursing staff.

Finally, she stated that the last meeting of the Winwick and Newchurch Hospital Management Committee had now taken place, and she felt that one of her most important duties was to thank the Committee for the assistance they had afforded her and the nursing staff, and in particular she thanked Alderman Ball for his fatherly support. Mr. E. Fox was to be the Secretary, and Councillor B. Eaves the Chairman of the new combined H.M.C., which would take office on April 1st.

Mr. W. Morris, Principal Tutor, then introduced the principal guest, Mrs. B.- Nicholas, who is at present Education Officer of the General Nursing Council for England and Wales. Mrs. Nicholas said she had visited Winwick twice previously, in 1959 and 1964, as an Inspector for the G.N.C., and she was delighted to be back. In her work, she said, she had a special responsibility for psychiatric hospitals, and she felt that psychiatric nursing was an especially rewarding job, in that it fostered self-recognition. Although improvements as outlined by Miss Coppack helped nurses to do their job, the most important factor was staff attitudes. People were showing misplaced loyalty if they always believed that what had been good enough for them was good enough for newcomers to the service, and she hoped that the nurses there to receive their certificates would recognise that they must continue to learn.

She was grateful to Winwick for the assistance given in an experimental examination method, which had led to the plans for replacement of the traditional state examination with a hospital based Assessment.

Mrs. Nicholas then went on to present Awards to the following nurses:

Silver Medal and Hospital Prize	Jean Hunt
Theory of Mental Nursing	Eileen Molloy
Theory of Mental Nursing (Oral)	Jean Hunt
Practical Mental Nursing	Mary E. Hodge
Introductory Group Prize	David J. Murray
Pupil Nurse Prize	Valerie J. Patterson

Progress Prizes - Student Nurses

Third Year

Eleanor Tiernan
Alan Ravenscroft

Second Year

Edith D. Sutch
Arvin K.D. Ramtuhul

First Year

Wendy Norris
John E. Cummings

Progress Prizes - Pupil Nurses

Jean Hunt
Christopher Clarke

Nurses receiving hospital certificates and badges were:

Registered Nurses:

Robert O. Amponfi	Patricia Bromham
Trevor J. Dunn	Sean Henderson
Edith Hodge	Mary E. Hodge
Arlene Hodkinson	Jean Hunt
Joseph S. Massey	Anthony D. McNally
Eileen Molloy	Joan D. Stretch
Annie Sutton	Johanna B. Whittaker

Enrolled Nurses:

Terence Allan	Jean Anziani
Freda Cox	Thomas M. Healy
Elsie Kenwright	Hilda Marsh
Valerie J. Patterson	Lynda M. Peers
Anne L. Stringfellow	Marie Vanes
John H. Wilson

After Mrs. Nicholas, the Chairman, and the Hospital Management Committee had been thanked, Alderman Ball concluded the afternoon's business by inviting the guests to meet informally over refreshments in the Hall.

Publications Committee.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Joint Consultative Staffs Committee

Nomination and Election of Members to Staff Side

Notice is hereby given that the elected members of the Staff Side of the Joint Consultative Staffs Committee will cease to hold office on the 31st March next. Nominations are, therefore, invited from members of the staff to fill the vacancies that will thus arise.

The total number of seats available to the staff is ELEVEN and these are allocated as follows:

Administrative and Clerical Staff	2
Artisan Staff	2
Domestic, Farm and Gardens Staff	2
Nursing Staff	3
Technical and Professional Staff	2

As set out in W.C. Handbook, Section.4, Paragraph 3(v), deputies be appointed to the staff side, such deputies to be those candidates receiving the next highest number of votes in each section.

The conditions attached to nomination are:

a)	The nominee must be on the payroll of the Hospital.
b)	The nominee must be a member of a nationally recognised negotiating body.
c)	The nominee must signify his consent to nomination.
d)	The nominee must be regularly proposed and seconded by members of the staff.

Forms of nomination may be obtained from the undersigned and completed forms must be returned not later than 5 p.m. on TUESDAY, 28th MARCH, 1972.

In the event of there being more nominations than seats available to any section, elections will be conducted by means of a secret ballot which will be held during the week following the closing of nomination, and details of which will be announced later.

The names of retiring candidates, all of whom are eligible for re-appointment are given below:

Clerical and Administrative Section	Mr. A.J. Makin Mrs. M. Milner.
Technical and Professional Section	Mr. E. Bromley Mr. B. Naylor.
Nursing Section	Mr. D. McKendrick Mr. G. Moon Mrs. A. Smythe.
Domestic, Farm and Gardens Section	Mrs. D. Porter Mrs. M. Seddon.
Artisan Section	Mr. S. Jones Mr. J. Shaw.

E. FOX
D. McKENDRICK

Joint Secretaries.

Organisation and Methods Study of the Nursing Services - Progress Report.

The two questions we're invariably asked around the hospital these days is "Are you still here?", or alternatively, "When are you going?".

The answers are:

 i) Yes, we are still here.
ii) We won't be going for quite a few weeks yet.

The mammoth task of analysing the ward observations is now completed but the implications of what we saw are still being examined and discussed with the nursing administration.

Additionally, we are looking into other aspects of the nursing service such as allocation of staff administration and methods of assessing patient dependency. An investigation into the clerical work on the wards is now almost completed.

As often happens during a long study like this, urgent demands arise from other quarters and time has to be taken off to deal with them. Such demands have arisen from two other hospitals during this study, with the effect of extending the length of stay here.

We estimate that the remaining work here, including writing the report, should keep us occupied until sometime in May.

It should be interesting to hear the kinds of questions we're being asked by that time.

J. M. Clifton,
0. & M. Team Leader

The Credit Side

On Thursday, March 16th, representatives of the Staff were invited to the Presentation of winners of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme by his Worship the Mayor of Warrington, at Orford Secondary Boys' School.

We can share in the pride of the boys who attained Bronze, Silver and Gold standards, especially John Shaw and Geoff Doyle, who were Gold Medallists, since their Community Service section was done at Winwick Hospital, in the form of voluntary help in the Social Therapy Department.

Our congratulations to these young men, who have proved to be a credit to the Award Scheme, and to themselves.

J. A. Jolley.

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At the Annual Bowls Dance held recently, the Star Prize Winner was N/A A. Clayton. The prize was two wristlet watches, valued at £30.

Publications Committee

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Sisters and staff of east and west wing have asked us to pass on their best wishes to Nurse E. Collier, who has left their ward to work on F.5 Down, and to wish her the best on her new ward.

Publications Committee

CHESS CLUB NEWS

With only one match remaining in the L.R.H.B. League the position is that we must beat Sefton 3½ to 1½ in order to make sure of the Cup regardless of what any other team achieves. This is quite within our power and, naturally, any points dropped by Broadgreen, our nearest rivals, will make our task that much easier.

The League adjudicator's decision on the two games which were the subject of dispute in an earlier match with the Regional Board is that both should be considered drawn. On the facts before him, submitted by the League Secretary, his finding is just.

Either Broadgreen or Rainhill will be our opponents in the Final of the K.O. Despite our recent League defeat by the former we should start favourite to lift this Trophy as well.

Hopefully, by the time you read this our historic dispute with Frodsham, in the Warrington League, will have been resolved. On this decision may well hang the 2nd Division Cup. We have three trophies out of a possible four within our grasp - win, lose or draw, we're reaching the crunch point of a very good season.

R. Bruton.

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Welcome to the Following New Staff:

L. Flanagan	Nursing Assistant
M. Roche	Nursing Assistant

Nursing News

Further to news of staff who are attending courses. This. week, Mr. J. Jolley is attending a specialised module course on Personnel Management at Woolton Manor whilst from Monday next S.E.N.'s D. Tickle and A. Malee will be attending the course for State-enrolled nurses which is held at William Rathbone Staff College.

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Best wishes for Staff Nurse R. Amponfi, who leaves us on March 27th, after two years service. Bob is returning to his home in Ghana.

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Last week reference was made to those members of the Winwick and Newchurch Hospital Management Committee who would not be serving with the Warrington Hospital Management Committee.

It is with deep regret that we report today the death of Dr. E. H. Moore. Dr. Moore had served the Winwick and Newchurch H.M.C. for many years and was liked and respected not only by members and senior officials but those lower down the scale with whom he came into contact.

He was shrewd, fair, honest and courteous on all occasions.

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