Margaret Gibson Auld FRCN

DSc DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

(11 July 1932 – 10 September 2010) was a Scottish nurse, Matron at

Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion The Edinburgh Royal Maternity and Simpson Memorial Pavilion was a maternity hospital in Lauriston, Edinburgh, Scotland. Its services have now been incorporated into the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France. History Midwifery in Edinbu ...

, Edinburgh and

Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) is the most senior advisor on nursing matters in a government. There are CNOs in the United Kingdom who are appointed to advise their respective governments: His Majesty's Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, ...

from 1977 to 1988.

Early life and education

Auld was born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

on 11 July 1932 to Scottish parents, Eleanor Margaret Ingram and Alexander John Sutton Auld. She attended Cardiff High School for Girls and Glasgow High School, going on to train as a nurse at

Radcliffe Infirmary The Radcliffe Infirmary was a hospital in central north Oxford, England, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street. History The initial proposals to build a hospital in Oxford were put forw ...

, Oxford, qualifying as a

State registered nurse Nursing in the United Kingdom has a long history. The current form of nursing is often considered as beginning with Florence Nightingale who pioneered modern nursing. Nightingale initiated formal schools of nursing in the United Kingdom in the l ...

in 1953. She further qualified as a

midwife A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery. The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...

in 1954. In 1962 she qualified with a teaching diploma in midwifery, and received her Certificate in Nursing Administration from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1966. In 1974 she received her MPhil from the University.

Career

In her early career Auld worked at Queen's Park Hospital (1953–54),

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

, as staff midwife at Cardiff Maternity Hospital in 1955 and as Sister in 1957. She then travelled to New Zealand to work as Sister at Queen Mary Hospital,

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

(1959-1960). She returned once again to Cardiff Maternity Hospital where she was Departmental Sister from 1960 to 1966. She then transferred to Scotland where she would remain for the rest of her life. She was Assistant Matron at

in Edinburgh from 1966 to 1968, and Matron from 1968 to 1973. In 1973 she became Chief Area Nursing Officer for Borders Health Board. She was appointed

in 1977, holding the position until 1988. As CNO she was key to the development of the Aberdeen formula, a method for calculating the number and quality of nurses required for hospital service. She supported the training and education of nurses in Scotland and made the case for them taking up senior positions in medical services. She was proud of the fact that, at that time, Scotland produced 50 per cent of nurse graduates in the UK. In her professional capacity she sat on many boards and committees including as; a member of the Briggs Committee on Nursing (1972-1976), member of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (1990–93), a member of the Committee on Ethics of Gene Therapy (1990-1993), and governor of the Board of Governors of Queen Margaret College (1989-2000), and as Chairperson from 1997-2000.

Recognition

The Margaret Auld Prize at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

was created in 1993 in recognition of her contribution to nursing and midwifery education in Scotland. It is awarded each graduating year for the best dissertation in the University's BSc(Hons) Nursing. In 1987 she received the first Honorary Degree, a

, to be awarded by Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh. She was made a Fellow of the

Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron until her death in 2022. ...

in 1981.

Personal life

Auld met her lifelong companion Kay Rowe in Edinburgh in the 1960s. After her retirement Auld travelled extensively with Rowe. She was fond of animals and kept dogs. Auld died in Edinburgh on 10 September 2010. Rowe predeceased her by a few months.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Auld, Margaret 1932 births 2010 deaths NHS Chief Professional Officers Civil servants in the Scottish Office British nursing administrators People from Cardiff Scottish nurses Scottish civil servants Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish midwives Fellows of the Royal College of Nursing British nurses