Nightingale tradition lives on within a Catholic hospital

LAST WEEK'S revelation that the Sisters of Mercy are to withdraw from an independent hospital in London to rediscover their roots with the poor will no doubt provoke much soulsearching in other religious communities (Catholic Herald, November 4).
The sisters decided at a General Chapter some months ago that they were in danger of denying their original charism of undertaking ministries which "directly enable (them) to be with the poor and powerless today."
So, after what one sister described as "long, painful discussion and deliberation" the chapter voted by secret ballot for the sisters to pull out of the 103-bed Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in St John's Wood after an association of 133 years.
The sisters first opened the
After 133 years, the Sisters of Mercy are pulling out of St John and St Elizabeth's Hospital in north London. Brian Dooley reports.
hospital in Great Ormond Street on their return from helping Florence Nightingale care for wounded soldiers in the Crimea. The expressed aim of the hospital was "to provide free charitable nursing for the poor."
The hospital carried out this work at Great Ormond Street until 1898, when it moved to its present site. For the next 83 years the sisters administered to the sick for free, but by 1981 found that St John and St Elizabeth's had to contend with financial realities and so took in private patients.
"We needed to sharpen up the business approach. We couldn't just keep giving away the service, not in today's market" said Christopher Board, the Deputy Director of the Hospital.
"If we hadn't taken the private patients, we wouldn't have survived. The money from the private beds goes to pay for the non-fee paying patients. That way the hospital treats poor people with the surplus money," he said.
This service to the poor and sick of London was not direct enough, apparently, for the Sisters of Mercy, and the eight nuns who work as nurses will be redeployed.
"As only small part of the hospital's activities directly serve the poor, the sisters must now withdraw all their involvement with the hospital during the course of the next four years," they explain in an official statement.
''We want to continue with the original philosophy and Catholic ethic,'
As for the future of the hospital, it hopes to carry on with as little disruption as possible. "We want to continue with the original philosophy and Catholic ethic," claimed Mr Broad.
Won't fundraising be a problem now the nuns have gone? After all, they do have a certain appeal when it comes to donations. "Well, yes," admitted Mr Broad, "that's something we've thought of, and there are bound to be implications when they withdraw. We'll need to do a good PR job on ourselves to minimise any losses," he said.
The hospital will continue to remain part of the Federation of Catholic Hospitals, and hopes to continue treating many sick clergy.
Although the withdrawal will not be completed until 1992, empty rooms in the convent have already been taken over by the hospital for administrative offices. One feature which will remain as a constant reminder of the hospital's origins is the "church" inside St John's.
This is no ordinary hospital chapel. Nestled between the wards is a large, ornate church which is far more impressive than those in many London parishes.
It was dismantled brick by brick from the Great Ormond Street site and reassembled in the hospital when the sisters moved.
"Apart from the church, and certain obvious medical procedures which we refuse to do, we're no different from any other private hospital," said the business-like Mr Broad.
"Oh yes, the sisters will be hard to replace, but it won't be any more expensive to find new nurses, because they get paid proper wages," he calculated.
The sisters admit the decision to leave wasn't easy, but the changing nature of the hospital meant they were forced to reevaluate their position. It is also understood the move will have implications for those Sisters of Mercy currently involved in the field of independent education. The nuns from St John and St Elizabeth's are to be found alternative accommodation in the same area of London where they can work with the poor more directly.
The hospital will continue to encourage donations from the Catholic community, and will still keep a certain fraction of its beds reserved for non-feepaying patients.
"I know it sounds a bit Florence Nightingaley, but after all we are here to treat the sick," said Mr Broad.