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Chapter XVIII.
School Nursing Service.

An important development in social service in New Zealand was the establishment of a school medical and nursing service. This was inaugurated in 1917, by the Education Department. At first doctors only were appointed, but as in most other health measures, nurses were quickly found to be necessary, and appointments were made to the various districts. Later, in 1920, this school medical service was transferred to the Health Department. Both men and women doctors were appointed and for some time they were under the direction of a man, but for a good many years, Dr. Ada Paterson has been Director.

This service appealed to many of the nurses, worn by their work during the war, and who were tired of institution life, and wished to live in their own homes; so quite a number of ex-sisters joined. At first the work was restricted to the inspection of the children at the schools and to the visiting of parents to ascertain if treatment prescribed by the doctor was being carried out, and in the towns, this is still the routine, but in distant country districts some of the nurses combine with their inspections, other health work, such as district visiting; a certain amount of baby welfare work on Plunket lines, and native health work.

A great deal of instruction in home nursing is carried out by some of the school nurses both by lectures and demonstrations and in several centres the school nurses undertake work for the Red Cross in this direction.