Reciprocal rewards: British poor law nursing and the campaign for state registration

Kirby, Stephanie

Abstract

In the pages of her publications 'The Nursing Record' and 'The British Journal of Nursing', Mrs Bedford Fenwick portrayed the Poor Law nurses as struggling against the forces of parsimony and ignorance in the persons of the workhouse master and matron. The representation of these women as victims of the system rescued by Mrs Bedford Fenwick disguises their considerable achievements towards improving the quality of care for their deprived patients. This paper examines how the Poor Law nurses seized the opportunity afforded by the campaign for State Registration to further their cause in developing a professional nursing service for a neglected group of patients.

Citation

Kirby, S. (2002). Reciprocal rewards: British poor law nursing and the campaign for state registration. International History of Nursing Journal, 7(2), 4-13

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2002
• Journal: International History of Nursing Journal
• Print ISSN: 1360-1105
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 4-13
• Keywords: Britain, poor law, state registration, nursing
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1083224
• Additional Information: Additional Information : The paper explores the development of poor law nursing and the campaigns for state registration, identifying issues that are equally relevant to the development of contemporary senior nursing roles. This work led to appointment as PhD external, Kingston University 2007.