John Greene (nurse)

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John Greene OBE (8 September 1916 - 1 May 2001) was an Irish-born chief nursing officer known for his work in the field of mental health nursing and introducing community psychiatric nursing.

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Early life

Greene was born on 8 September 1916 in County Clare, Ireland. His mother died when he was eight years old, during the birth of her tenth child. Greene left school at 14 and worked as a labourer. In 1935, aged 18, Greene moved to England to join his brother who was already working in private nursing. Six of his nine siblings became nurses. [1] [2] [3]

Early career

Greene initially gained experience in private mental hospitals in Bedford and Essex prior to moving to Herrison Hospital, Dorset, to undertake formal nurse training. [2] In 1939 he qualified as a mental nurse gaining the Royal Medico-Psychological Association's certificate. [2] [1]

In 1940, Greene joined the Royal Navy as a sick-berth attendant and continued studying for his Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) qualifications and Registered Nurse (SRN) qualifications. [2] [4] In 1943/1944, he was deployed in duties on a hospital ship in the Indian Ocean caring for men with physical and mental trauma. He cared for ex-prisoners of war in Colombo. He rose to the rank of petty officer and was demobbed in March 1946. [2] [5]

Later career

Following demobilisation, Greene returned to Herrison Hospital and in 1951 worked in Moorhaven Hospital, Devon, becoming Chief Male Nurse in 1953. While at Moorhaven, Greene contributed to the development of community psychiatric services, a new venture for that period. [6] He advocated for a psychiatric service that extended into the community encompassing continued care, liaison with other community teams and support for families. [7] [8] [2]

In 1964, Greene became the chief nurse for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, a post that entailed responsibility for both general and psychiatric services. [9] He was appointed Chief Nursing Officer for Cornwall in 1969 and for Gloucestershire Area Health Authority in 1974. He retired in 1978 at the age of 62. He spent his last day of employment nursing elderly patients in a hospital in Gloucester, thus bringing his career full circle. [1] [2]

Administrative contributions

Greene served as a member of the Board of Examiners for the General Nursing Council and was a member of the Southwest Area Nurse Training Committee. Between 1961 and 1963, he was a member of the influential Platt Committee on Nursing Education for the Royal College of Nursing, led by Harry Platt which published as the Platt Report 1964. [10] [11] In 1963, he was appointed to the Salmon Committee which reported and made recommendations on staff structures in the NHS. [2] [9] [12]

During the 1960s and 1970s, Greene served on the Central Health Services Council and the Standing Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Committee as an adviser to successive governments. He served on enquiry committees into standards of care in psychiatric hospitals. In 1977, he became part of a Department of Health & Social Security working group reviewing functioning of mental illness hospitals. He promoted the interests and developments of nurse managers and administrators. [2]

Greene was Chief of the National Association of Chief Male Nurses 1953-1968 which was previously a section of the Society of Registered Male Nurses. The Association amalgamated with the Association of Nurse Administrators. [13]

Greene founded The Association of Chief and Principal Nursing Officers for Mental Hospitals. He negotiated amalgamation with the Association of Hospital Matrons to form the Association of Nurse Administrators, becoming the first male president of that association 1976-1979. He continued in this role after his retirement. [9]

Greene was a strong contributor of articles for professional health journals. He presented lectures and seminars for the RCN and other academic institutions. [2]

Awards

In 1958 Greene was the first male nurse to win a British Commonwealth Nurses Memorial Fund Scholarship which enabled him to study psychiatric care in Scandinavia, Holland and Belgium. [2]

In 1973 Greene was awarded the OBE for services to nursing. [14] [2]

In 1977 he was elected to fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing (the first mental health nurse to receive this honour). [1]

Personal life

Greene married Betty Mary Rickers, a lecturer in biology, at Chatham on 11 July 1942 and they had two sons. [2]

Greene was an active member of the History of Nursing Society of the RCN. Green was a cofounder (with his wife) of the Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society. [15] He published several articles on the history of nursing and a book on hospital tile pictures. For the latter there was an appeal on Blue Peter , the popular children's television programme. [16]

Greene died suddenly at his home in Cheltenham on 1 May 1971. A memorial service was held at the Friends Meeting House in Cheltenham. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "John Greene FRCN". Royal College of Nursing Archive Catalogue. 2022. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Greene, John (1916–2001), nurse and health service manager". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-75866?rskey=prteni&result=21 (inactive 1 November 2024). Retrieved 2024-05-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  3. ↑ Boorer, D (14 May 1965). "A Man of Quiet Influence A Profile of John Greene". shibboleth.gale.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ↑ Ancestry UK & Ireland Nursing Registers 1898-1968
  5. ↑ "Biographical Dictionary of Nurses from Ireland on the Home Front and on Allied Fronts during the Second World War, 1935 - 1945" (PDF). Northern Ireland Direct.gov.uk. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Greene, John (1968). "The Psychiatric Nurse in the Community Service". International Journal of Nursing Studies. 5 (3): 175–184. doi:10.1016/0020-7489(68)90035-7. PMID   5187501 – via Pergammon Press.
  7. ↑ Greene, John (1978). "Discharge and be Damned". Royal Society of Health Journal. 98 (3): 104–107. doi:10.1177/146642407809800305. ISSN   0035-9130. PMID   209491 – via Sage.
  8. ↑ Weeks K, Greene J (25 February 1966). "Psychiatric Care in the Community". The Nursing Times Gale Primary Sources.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. 1 2 3 Ardern, Peter (2001-05-23). "John Greene". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  10. ↑ "A reform of nursing education first report of a special committee". RCN Digital Archive. 1964.
  11. ↑ Royal College of Nursing and National Council of Nurses of the United Kingdom The Platt Committee 1964 Accessed 27 May 2024 https://rcn.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_636f6543-6fe0-408d-a603-a6fa33a86bd5/
  12. ↑ Hansard (26 July 1963). "Salmon Committee and Senior Nursing Staff". Hansard Parliament UK. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "National Association of Chief Male Nurses". RCN Archive Catalogue. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  14. ↑ "Page 6473 | Supplement 45984, 22 May 1973 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  15. ↑ Greene J A record of Commemorative Plaques in Gloucestershire Hospitals Held at Royal College of Nursing London
  16. ↑ Greene, John (30 June 1987). Brightening the long days: hospital tile pictures (1st ed.). England: Tiles & Architectural Ceramics Society. ISBN   978-0951211106.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
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