- Catherine M. Hall
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Dame Catherine Mary Hall, DBE, FRCN (born 19 December 1922, Sheffield, England, UK — died 26 August 1996) was a British nurse and nursing administrator who served as the third General Secretary of the UK's Royal College of Nursing (1957-82).
Hall began her career as a ward sister at Leeds General Infirmary, later rising to Night Superintendent and Assistant Matron. In 1954, she was appointed to the position of Assistant Matron at Middlesex Hospital, London. In 1960, Hall supported lifting the constitutional ban on male nurses joining the RCN.
Four years later she publicly criticised as too small a proposed 2.5% salary hike for nurses although she opposed the notion of striking, although some nurses did go on strike, which caused the Conservative Minister of Health (Enoch Powell) to complain about the "controversy which [has] caused widespread embarrassment", which she rebutted, defending the nurses. She also had difficulties with Labour governments, commenting at one point to then-Secretary of State Barbara Castle's proposals: "Secretary ... if you do that, I can guarantee that you will not have a single nurse left in the NHS."[1]
In 1977, the RCN registered as a trade union. It eventually grew to be the largest single union outside the Trades Union Congress.
Contents
Career
- Assistant Matron, Middlesex Hospital, London (1954-56)
- General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing (1957-82)
- Member, Commission on Industrial Relations (1971-74)
- Member, General Medical Council (1979-89)
- Chairman, UK Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (1980-85)
Honours
- CBE, 1967
- DBE, 1982
- FRCN 1976
Legacy
References
External links
Categories:- 1922 births
- 1996 deaths
- People from London
- People from Rotherham
- People from Sheffield
- British nurses
- British nursing administrators
- Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- People in public health
- Fellows of the Royal College of Nursing
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