Being born as one of Melbourne's poor in the 1880s was a ticket to a miserable, and all too often, short life....
Your family lives packed together, sharing tenements or single room cottages, often with dirt floors and without proper sanitation. Disease surrounds you. Diphtheria and typhoid are rife and there is little care available if you become ill. You simply stay at home to recover - or die.
In 1885, this begins to change. A single nurse is now visiting the homes of the sick poor, bringing not just hope and compassion but modern nursing practices as championed by Florence Nightingale. The nurse now brings the care the poor have been craving. Mothers and new babies begin to receive the help they need and the frail aged at last have support.
The Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) has commenced and the plight of the sick poor will be changed forever.
The benefits of RDNS care quickly become obvious and support for the service grows, more staff are employed, and in 1892, a midwifery service commences.
By 1906 the RDNS mantle of care extends to the 'outlying suburbs' of Elsternwick, Hawthorn and Northcote. Nurses now use bicycles to reach their clients and visits to homes exceed 28,000 per annum. During the Great War RDNS continues to expand, although nursing staff are scarce, and the additional care needed by soldiers' families brings further demands.
The catastrophic influenza epidemic of 1919 sees patient numbers quadruple and RDNS is forced to invest in the first motorcar. As the epidemic drags on into 1920 more cars must be added to cope with demand.
In the years that follow RDNS changes along with a growing community. By 1926 the After Care Hospital has been opened by RDNS and shortly afterward Melbourne's first 'well baby clinic', the forerunner of maternal and child health centres, is opened. In the face of considerable opposition RDNS pushes forward the development of Victoria's first family planning clinic to help women suffering from the effects of multiple childbirths.
With the upheaval of World War Two comes more change and shortly afterward RDNS care is extended to all, regardless of age or circumstance. Decentralisation commences and the first suburban RDNS Centre opens. Other Centres soon follow throughout Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.
Now RDNS is caring for all of Melbourne and growth is even more rapid. An education department is established and enrolments taken for the first post-basic course in community nursing. By 1970, RDNS is hosting the inaugural International District Nursing Conference. Social workers and a physiotherapist start work with the nurses and the very frail aged, previously confined to nursing homes, are cared for at home by RDNS.
In the 1970's and 80's RDNS progressively adds more specialist services. A research program commences as does home nursing of HIV/AIDS, cystic fibrosis and other chronic conditions. Post acute care and intravenous antibiotic treatment, previously confined to hospitals, are now provided by RDNS in the home. RDNS auspices provide a mobile healthcare service for homeless people to give care to one of the most disadvantaged groups in our community.
RDNS must now operate around the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to cope with the range and complexity of care required.
With the coming of the 1990's, RDNS is growing and changing faster than ever. Shorter hospital stays, increased use of day surgery and a rapidly ageing population mean even more people are now in RDNS care.
By the beginning of the new century the problem is not simply one of numbers; it is a growth in complexity. People now come to RDNS with more acute conditions and the frail aged stay in our care longer. This means more complicated nursing procedures must be delivered by RDNS in the home. It seems the hospital is shifting to the home.
In 2007 RDNS faces more challenges, but they are all challenges we are determined to meet. New technology, advanced training, a determination to continue to improve and, above all, the support of the Melbourne community, will ensure RDNS continues to give the best in home nursing care.
A Melbourne Icon - Video presentation
Enjoy a celebratory snapshot of Royal District Nursing Service and our achievements, our nurses and clients as well as the challenges and progress of the past... and the future. Spanning 120 years, it is a colourful and remarkable journey.
"A Melbourne Icon" - Broadband 23.8MB
"A Melbourne Icon" - Dial Up 3.29MB