Editorial Comment

The notes on the Participative Management Course, which is now nearing completion, give some idea of the scope of this venture.

Some time must elapse before the practical value of the course can be reasonably assessed. In the meantime, as the Foreword suggests, "the list of all participants will enable staff to contact one or other of their colleagues to discuss with them in greater depth the purposes and the suggested methods by which those purposes can be given effect."

Friday 13th The letter from Delph concerning the unfortunate experience of some of their patients after attending one of the clinics here has created quite a lot of interest. We. hope that it has also served to lessen the indignation apparent in it, so that the event (or rather, non-event) can be put in perspective.

The system for ensuring attendance at and return from, relatively distant places broke down and someone complained about it.

The official system to be followed is: During working hours the ward arranges transport with the General Stores, to the clinic. The clinic arranges transport, again with the Stores, to the ward.

Outside normal working hours the Hall Porter contacts the Duty Driver.

Consideration of the break-down in question is quite outside the scope of The Standard.

Now that the letter has been published, and the system it relates to has been set out, we consider that the 'proper channels' must be used on any future occasion.

Publications Committee

Union Information

The T.U.C. Health Services Committee have noted the absence of information concerning Trade Union activities in hospital 'house' magazines and Regional Board Newspapers. "The T.U.C. Committee therefore suggest that branch Secretaries submit suitable items to editors of N.H.S. magazines."

The Publications Committee are pleased to feel that they have already gone some distance in this direction. 'Suitable items', however, may mean more than dates and agendas of meetings. We await developments.

Publications Committee

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Mind Week

The problems of the N.H.S., and of any hospital in it, are numerous and complex. A main problem area in a hospital such as ours is rehabilitation, and in recent years we have made some effort to involve the community at large in the solution of the problems this concept raises.

This week saw our contribution to Mind Week. But, whatever impact this exhibition may have had on the public, it has neither explained to them our difficulties, nor sought to give then any sense of involvement. Indeed, it may have given them an erroneous inpression*. We should not be surprised, therefore if our difficulties remain.

Publications Committee

* E.g. one trio of visitors, who were taking notes, asked if all the upgraded wards were two-bedded ones.

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Picking up The Standard I sit and meditate
Wasn't there a competition I read somewhere of late?

Right from the start being no good at verse or poetry,
I knew I could not take part.

Another competition, Name the Ward, if you please
Sit and think about it at your ease,
I sit and look for results of both of these,
I wonder how much longer must we wait and wait

and wait...

J. Mee.

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Clinical Pharmacy ???

In answer to the subject "Drug Adviser Needed" in the copy of The Standard of 6th October, we would like to ask why Sir George Godber, Chief Medical Officer, saw "the interpreter" as being a clinical pharmacologist, or a physician who was an expert in therapeutics. Surely the person ideally educated to fulfil this role is the pharmacist. The newly qualified pharmacist has had a broad education in pharmacology, dosages, drug interactions, contra-indications etc. Not only this but he is ideally situated to build up a drug information scheme, which would then be of benefit in advising the doctors on which drug to use and how to use it in a particular case. We would like to see the pharmacist more generally accepted in an advisory capacity and more involved in the ward situation.

Mr. D. Holcroft, Miss G. Sharman,

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. The regular monthly "Professional Hour" for Nursing Officers, Ward Sisters and Charge Nurses and deputies was held on Thursday, 19th October in the In-Service Training Room. Mr. McCarthy, Principal Nursing Officer at Moss Side Hospital, Maghull, gave a talk on "The Special Hospital System".

Those present had the opportunity of learning details of the staffing, financing and administering of the country's Special Hospitals, and the special nursing problems encountered.

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Club News        Billiards and Snooker

Winwick billiards team got back on a winning note last week with a win against White Cross 5 - 2.

In the Snooker division the A team went down 6 games to 2 at Winwick against British RLYS.

The B team won their match at Earlestown Cons 6 2 and seem to be going along very strongly.

P. Hastry

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We were pleased to read in The Standard vol.2. No. 19 that our efforts in the bank and M.2A are so much appreciated by staff and we hope, by patients too.

We are still hoping that those responsible for our grading will also begin to appreciate the quality of craftsmanship that is necessary to carry out work of such high standards and will regrade us accordingly.

J. Shaw	M. Fowles	J. McLoughlin
R. Dinsdale	L. Lathem	W.A. Broslin
J. Wells	H. Baines
B. Sinnett	P. Ward
A, Briscoe	W. Nixdorf
D. Crawley	J. Langley

Work Study Part 9

Work Study and Trade Unionism

Whether the savings brought about as a result of applying improvements devised by Work Study men are indeed applied to improving the workers' earnings and conditions of work so that the workers benefit fully, will of course partly depend on the extent to which the workers understand the purpose of the work study, and on the extent to which the organisation of the workers is a strong enough to insist that the management return a considerable part of the savings obtained to the workers, in the form of higher incentives, improved conditions of work, etc.

There is no doubt that if the workers and their representatives sufficiently understand the purpose of the work study, and the recommendations that result from it, and that if they have sufficient strength to persuade the management to pay the account to their views, they can obtain a considerable share, both in the form of higher incentives and improved working conditions, of the benefits which the work study brings. There is, however, another important aspect of this question of trade unionism and work study. No fully effective work study can be carried out at all unless the workers fully and willingly co-operate with the work study men. This they are much more likely to do if they have a real understanding of what work study is about, and of what the purpose of undertaking it is, as well as of the benefits it can be expected to bring to the concern, including the workers themselves.

Here again the importance of good trade union organisation is apparent. If workers think that they can have little chance of sharing fully in the benefits the work study is likely to bring, because they are not sufficiently well organised to persuade the management to give them their full share, they will not be particularly interested in the work study or in facilitating the operations of the work study men.

Work study, then, we can perhaps sun up, is an aid of the greatest value in raising productivity and lowering costs, by streamlining all the operations that are carried out in a plant or establishment. For it to he carried out effectively however, and for the workers to be sure of benefitting fully from it, it needs to go hand in hand with strong and efficient trade union organisation at the work place, and a thorough understanding of work study and its aims by the workers, and especially by their representatives.

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Welcome to:

Mrs. M.A. Hardman	T.N.A.
Mrs. P. Marsh	T.N.A.
Miss C.J. Tod	Nursing Assistant
Mrs. D. Povey	Nursing Assistant
Mr. S.R. Howarth	Nursing Assistant
Mrs. M. Oldman	Gen. S.E.N.
Mr. J. A. Newnes	Nursing Assistant

Farewell to:

Miss A. M. Bates	Nursing Assistant
Mr. I Greer	S.E.N.
Miss P. Thomas	Cadet
Mrs. A. Cunliffe	T.N.A.
Mrs. A. Fogg	S.E.N.

Mr. Ian Greer, who leaves after five years at Winwick Hospital, to take up a nursing post at Ashton-under-Lyne General Hospital Psychiatric Department on October 28th. Good Luck Ian.

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