STR,—It would appear that E. E. Stephenson is still a little misinformed over the composition of the staff panel of the functional council for Nurses and Midwives (Whitley Council). He submits that the Royal College ofNursing and the Royal College of Midwives are the only professional organisations recognised as negotiating bodies on this staff panel. He claims this vindicates his original arguments. Here is a list of the other professional organisations holding seats on the Whitley ,Council: Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, Association of Hospital Matrons, Association of Supervisors of Midwives, Scottish Health Visitors Association. Scottish Matrons Association, Women's Public Health Officers AssociatismsNational Association of Administrators of Local Government Establishments. As he should know there will be sub-committees attaching to this Whitley Council, the smaller professional organisations will hold seals on these sub-committees, and will deal with their own particular field of nursing, and will make recommendations on that field to the. main Whitley Council.
I know the Trade Unions have 18 seats on the Whitley Council, but the professional organisations listed above hold 25 seats between them, which is appreciably more than 50 per cent. Incidentally. at the winding up of the Rushcliffe Committee surely the acknowledgments of debts was mutual. ANNA M. Rem S.R.N.. S.S.M.
Sister Tutor, Redhill County Hospital, Surrey