Hi Rachel 

Wandered if this would help....

Occupational Health Collections

This factsheet provides an introduction to this repository’s collections, which reflect RCN involvement with the development of occupational health nursing in the UK during the twentieth century.
The includes a brief résumé of the development of this field of nursing, some of the prominent figures and dates and changes to the RCN. Collection descriptions and reference codes are given in the body of the text where appropriate. A short bibliography is listed at the end.

Occupational Health Nursing in the UK
The first ‘industrial’ nurse in the UK was Philippa Flowerday, who worked at the Coleman’s (mustard) factory in 1878. She had trained with the local Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, which combined a hospital service with a home nursing service. Rapid industrial growth during the nineteenth century meant an increase in debilitating injuries and deaths and a fall in general health and hygiene. Diseases like tuberculosis were as common as injury. The Factory Act of 1833 provided inspectors to monitor industrial working conditions, but no female inspectors were employed until 1893. They were trained district nurses who later gained National Health Society Diplomas.

The First World War saw a rise in production in munitions and other heavy industries. Parts of society that had never been involved in factory labour now entered the workplace. Health and safety became a major issue and nurses were appointed to provide first aid, prevent injury, monitor sickness and supervise general health.

The Second World War created a need for new nurses, including industrial nurses. A lot of nurses joined the services, leaving civilian positions unfilled. By the end of the war, it had become necessary to reorganise the structure of UK health provision. The National Health Service was set-up in 1948. An Industrial Health Service was established (1949) under the Ministry of Labour with a co-ordinating committee linking their work to the NHS.

As part of the Treaty of Versailles 1919, the International Labour Organisation had been formed. They were charged to improve working conditions through international agreement and to assure the protection of workers against sickness and injury. In 1948, the World Health Organisation came into being as an agency of the United Nations. They had a section devoted to occupational health, the new term as defined by a WHO committee in 1950. By 1952 they had also defined the work of the ‘occupational health’ nurse.

Area occupational health services started to emerge in the manufacturing towns of the UK during the post-war boom (e.g. Middlesex Industrial Nursing Service est. 1957). Local businesses banded together to share the cost of running some services, which included clinics, dressing and first aid stations and mobile units doing daily rounds. 

In 1972, the Employment Medical Advisory Service Act established a network of doctors and nurses around the UK to advise on health at work. This was later incorporated into the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which eventually shaped the occupational health regulations that we work within today.


Occupational Health in the Royal College of Nursing

Education

The College of Nursing was established in 1916 and included industrial nurses amongst the founder members. Formalised education was seen as an essential development in nursing. An Education Committee was established (1925) and a teaching department was set up (1928) to train nurses in specialist fields after their graduation from general nursing. 

The Industrial Nursing Course started in 1934 and was offered around the UK using the College’s regional offices. It had a very slow uptake until the start of the Second World War. Once again, the need for increased factory production created a need for industrial nurses, of which there were few fully qualified. The Industrial Nursing courses became very popular with financial support from the Ministry of Labour and National Service. It became the ‘Occupational Health’ course in 1948 and had by then developed into a six-month full-time course. Accident and emergency experience was a requirement and the syllabus included psychology. Three, three-hour papers plus two oral exams completed the course. 

In the 1960s the course was run by RCN Officer and Occupational Health nurse Brenda Slaney who donated her personal and professional papers to the RCN Archives on retirement [1]. Miss Slaney developed the first day release course syllabus in 1963, which fitted the needs of working nurses. She was also involved in the Society of Occupational Health (see below). 

The Education department became an independent entity in 1971: the Institute of Advanced Nursing Education. Their papers [2] include a wide range of committee discussions and administrative material re the courses: syllabuses, course programmes, examination papers and results from 1935-1980s. A Brief History of the RCN Institute is also available as a factsheet.

The papers of Frances Baker MBE, occupational health nursing leader (1980s onwards), European representative and educationalist, are available for study. These are the records of the Scottish Occupational Health Nursing Forum, tracing its history from 1987-2000 [3].

The International Commission on Occupational Health records held by the RCN Archives include minutes, correspondence, photographs, publications and reports as well as information on the Scientific Committee on Occupational Health [4].


Professional Representation

An Industrial Nursing Sub-Committee had been established in 1940 to make certain that the nursing profession was included in any discussion of training standards [5]. There was also an RCN representative on the Nursing Committee of the Association of Industrial Medical Officers, who held a great deal of influence over the setting of training standards.

The College was divided into specialist Sections headed by Secretaries. The Industrial Nursing Sub-Committee existed within the Public Health Section until 1949 when an independent ‘Occupational Health Section’ was set-up [6]. The Secretary of the Section was an influential figure. Miss Vera Stoves (Secretary, 1959-69) was on the Government’s Industrial Health Advisory Committee and was part of the Permanent Commission and Industrial Association on Occupational Health. Under her leadership, the RCN published the survey report, ‘A Hospital Occupational Health Service’, which led to the establishment of a government committee on the lack of occupational care for teachers and hospital staff.

In 1971, the Professional Sections of the RCN were amalgamated into the Professional Nursing Department (PND). The Secretaries were replaced by Nurse Officers whose duty it was to provide professional guidance to nurses and to support good working practices. This became the Department of Nursing Policy & Practice (DNPP) headed by a Director. It incorporated the development of the professional status of nursing. Despite a few changes over the years, this format persists.

Specialist interest groups were created in 1976, including the Society of Occupational Health Nursing [7]. By 1996 the Society had split into the ‘OH Nurses Forum’ and ‘OH Managers Forum’ [8]. These groups are member-led with administrative support from DNPP staff. Most run conferences, research projects, correspond with relevant organisations and award sponsorship. The RCN publishes their reports and newsletters [9].

Other Collections

The RCN Archives also holds multi-media collections of relevance. The Oral History Collection contains several interviews with industrial/occupational health nurses including Brenda Slaney. These can be accessed on site, by application to the Archivist. The Photographic Collection contains black and white prints from all the RCN Sections and Departments. Copies can be obtained via email or post at a small cost.

Notes
[1]  RCN/7/10 (9 boxes uncatalogued, 1 listed)
[2]  RCN/7 1935-1980s (2 bays)
[3]  RCN/15/15/SOHNS  (4 boxes)
[4]  ICOH/1-6 (3 boxes)
[5] RCN/7/4/5 1940-1946 Minutes (1 folder)
[6]  RCN/6/5/1-6 1959-1970 Minutes and administrative papers. (6 folders, also 10 boxes uncatalogued)
[7] RCN/15/15/SOHN 1976-1996 (1 box)
[8] RCN/15/15/OHN 1996-2002 (1 box) & RCN/15/15/OHM 1996-2002 (1 box) Administrative papers.
[9] RCN/15/15 1970s-current. Collection uncatalogued, but available for supervised study. (6 bays). A list of forums/society newsletters by title is available on request.


Bibliography

Allan, Peta & Jolley, Moya (Eds.) ‘Nursing, Midwifery & Health Visiting Since 1900’ (Faber & Faber, London) 1982
Charley, Irene H. ‘The Birth of Industrial Nursing’ (Balliere, Tindall & Cox, London 1954)
Pater, John E. ‘The Making of the National Health Service’ (King Edward’s Hospital Fund for London Historical Series 1, London 1981)
Slaney, Brenda ‘Nursing At Work’ (Croom Helm, London 1992)
Williams, Margaret ‘Kept Well and Working: The Royal College of Nursing Occupational Health Nursing’ (RCN History of Nursing Society Journal vol. 4, no. 1, p3,1992)

Copyright Royal College of Nursing Archives, March 2005. Permission is given to download or print a copy of this information.
Citation: RCN Archives Online Factsheet 

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