Rosalie Dreyer (3 September 1895 – 21 May 1987) was a Swiss-born naturalised British
nurse
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...
and administrator. Immigrating to England at the age of eighteen, she trained as a nurse in London and worked her way through the ranks to become matron, principal matron and chief matron-in-charge of the Nursing Service of the
London County Council
London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...
. At this time, nursing was making a shift from a voluntary service to a profession and Dreyer was involved as a pioneer in the development of Britain's public-funded nursing service.
Early life
Rosalie Dreyer was born on 3 September 1895 in
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
, Switzerland to Elisabeth (née Neuenschwander) and Johann Dreyer. She was the oldest of four daughters and her father managed a dairy co-operative. Though
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
, after receiving her basic education from a school run by Catholic nuns, Dreyer traveled to England in 1914 as a
nanny
A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...
to a Swiss family who had settled abroad. She entered nurses training in 1918 at
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre.
...
of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and earned her state registration certificate in 1922.
Career
After her graduation, Dreyer worked for a year as private nurse before returning to Switzerland in 1923 to work at the Rollier Clinic, a tubercular hospital in
Leysin
Leysin is a municipality of the canton of Vaud in the Aigle district of Switzerland. It is first mentioned around 1231–32 as ''Leissins'', in 1352 as ''Leisins''.
Located in the Vaud Alps, Leysin is a sunny alpine resort village at the easter ...
. She returned to England in 1924 and resumed work at Guy's Hospital, while studying for her midwifery certification, which she attained in 1926. She was appointed as assistant matron at Guy's in 1931 and three years later, became the matron at
Bethnal Green Hospital, which was overseen by the
London County Council
London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...
(LCC). In 1934, Dreyer became a naturalized British citizen. The following year, she was promoted to principal
matron
Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies.
Etymology
The chief nurse, in other words the person ...
at Bethnal Green, become responsible for nursing administration. In 1940, after the previous
Principal matron-in-charge,
Dorothy Bannon
Dorothy Bannon, CBE (7 June 1885 – 1 February 1940) was a pioneering British nurse who as Chief Matron-in-Charge of the Hospital and School Nursing Service of the London County Council. She was instrumental in the development of Britain's publ ...
died, Dreyer took over the post with the approval of the LCC. As this was at the beginning of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, there was a
xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
movement to dismiss her, which the LCC rejected, reconfirming the appointment. During the war, she visited hospitals which had been bombed during
The Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
and assessed which should be evacuated. If she determined that a facility must be abandoned, she organized the removal and eventual return of patients, nurses and equipment.
The LCC did not contract nurses for specific facilities, but rather, contracted nurses to their centralized system, giving Dreyer charge of all 11,000 nurses under contract to the LCC. During her tenure, Dreyer managed the often difficult process of improving the status and professionalism of the nursing profession without becoming aligned with the politics of her employers. She also had to assess the sometimes conflicting priorities of adequate training verses adequate staff. As prior to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, nurses had predominantly been volunteers, training, equipment, and facilities varied widely in the hospitals within the LCC supervision. During the war, with the increased need for staff, Dreyer had to make difficult decisions as to whether training or serving the public was the imperative.
In 1948, Dreyer was appointed as Chief Nursing Officer and supervised the merger of LCC Nursing Service into the new
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
(NHS). She was the first president of the National Association of State Enrolled Nurses. After two years, she left the NHS, but continued to serve on the management committee for South West Middlesex Hospital (1950–1958) and went to work for the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO). Serving as a nursing adviser, she toured European countries which had been afflicted by the war and advised the organization on reconstructing nursing in those areas. In 1952, she began working on the management committee of Stepney Hospital, part of the NHS, and the following year, she retired from the WHO. In 1955, she also began work on the management board of
Lewisham Hospital
University Hospital Lewisham (formerly known as Lewisham Hospital) is a teaching hospital run by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and serving the London Borough of Lewisham. It is now affiliated with King's College London and forms part of the ...
. Resigning from her managerial duties at South West Middlesex in 1958, she continued to work with Stepney and Lewisham until 1964.
Death and legacy
Dreyer died from a brain tumor on 21 May 1987 at her home in Wimbledon, London. She is noted, along with her predecessor, Bannon, as a pioneer in creating the public-funded nursing service in Britain.
References
Citations
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dreyer, Rosalie
1895 births
1987 deaths
People from Bern
British nurses
Swiss nurses
Swiss emigrants to the United Kingdom
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom