The General Nursing Council for England and Wales was established by the

Nurses Registration Act 1919 The Nurses Registration Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo. 5 c. 94) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom It set up the General Nursing Council, and was the culmination of a long campaign led by Ethel Gordon Fenwick to establish a register of nurse ...

to administer the register of nurses. It was responsible for deciding the rules for admission to the register. There were nine lay members and sixteen nurse members. 2 lay members were appointed by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, 2 by the

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

and 5 by the

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

. The nurses were initially appointed by the Minister. 11 were matrons or former matrons. Only two were from Workhouse infirmaries. Four or five were members of the

Royal British Nurses' Association The Royal British Nurses' Association was founded in December 1887 by Ethel Bedford-Fenwick. It described itself as a union or organisation of nurses for professional objects and campaigned for the establishment of a register of nurses. It want ...

, including Mrs

Ethel Bedford-Fenwick Ethel Gordon Fenwick (née Manson; 26 January 1857 – 13 March 1947) was a British nurse who played a major role in the History of Nursing in the United Kingdom. She campaigned to procure a nationally recognised certificate for nursing, to saf ...

and 9 from the

College of Nursing Nurse education consists of the theoretical and practical training provided to nurses with the purpose to prepare them for their duties as nursing care professionals. This education is provided to student nurses by experienced nurses and other med ...

, Including Alicia Lloyd-Still, matron of St. Thomas' Hospital. It was decided that practicing nurses could be admitted to the register, which was opened in November 1921, if they had at least one year's training, and that they must apply by 14 July 1923. 3235 applications were received in the first four months. Only 984 were approved because Mrs Bedford-Fenwick insisted on examining every case. 16 members of the Council resigned. The Minister had to intervene. In 1922 elections were held for the nursing places on the council. 12,000 registered nurses were eligible to vote. 11 were elected by the general nurses (6 of these had to be matrons) and 5 from the supplementary registers for mental health nursing, paediatric nursing and male nurses. Mrs Bedford-Fenwick lost her seat. Sir Wilmot Herringham was appointed Chairman. In June 1923, as the deadline for existing nurses to register approached, the House of Commons agreed a rule change proposed by William Chapple which permitted applicants to the general register to be admitted if they had worked as a nurse for at least three years before 1 November 1919. 40,451 applications were received. In 1925 the first state examination was held and 4,005 nurses were admitted to the register by passing it. See also

Nursing and Midwifery Council The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK. The NMC maintains a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses and nursing associates eligible to pra ...

References

{{reflist Nursing education in the United Kingdom Nursing organisations in the United Kingdom