Catalogue description Records of the East Sussex County Nursing Association (formerly the Sussex County Nursing Association, and the East Sussex Nursing Federation)

AMS6583/1 Minutes of the Executive Committee of the Sussex County Nursing Association; 1902-1918

AMS6583/2 Minutes of the General County Committee of the Sussex County Nursing Association; 1903-1917

AMS6583/3 Minutes of the Executive Committee of the East Sussex County Nursing Association; 1918-1970

AMS6583/4 Minutes of the General County Committee of the East Sussex County Nursing Federation; 1918-1929

AMS6583/5 Minutes of annual general meetings; 1934-1970

AMS6583/6 Minutes of the Finance Sub-Committee; 1948-1968

AMS6583/7 Minutes of the Pensions Committee; 1938-1970

AMS6583/8 Minutes of the East Sussex County Nursing Association Trust; 1970-1984

AMS6583/9 Objects, constitution and rules; c1939-1940

AMS6583/10 Annual reports of the Sussex County Nursing Association; 1902/03 - 1916/18

AMS6583/11 Annual reports of the East Sussex County Nursing Association; 1918/19 - 1969/70

AMS6583/12 Annual reports of the Home Physiotherapy Service; 1952/53 - 1963/64

AMS6583/13 Papers of Mabelle Egerton; 1896 - 1916/18

AMS6583/14 Registers of member district nursing associations; [1902] - 1949

AMS6583/15 Agreements with East Sussex County Council; 1916-1947

AMS6583/16 Textbooks; 1892-1929

AMS6583/17 Receipts and payments cash books; 1954-1970

AMS6583/18 Staff expenses; 1964-1971

AMS6583/19 Annuity policies; 1928

AMS6583/20 Certificates awarded to the association and its members; c1942 - 1953

AMS6583/21 Photographs; 1961

AMS6583/22 Other papers of the association; c1920-1970

AMS6583/23 Records of the East Sussex County Nursing Association Trust; 1967-1978

For an outline history of the Sussex County Nursing Association and the East Sussex Nursing Federation, c1921, see AMS6583/22/2 below

Annual reports of the Sussex County Nursing Association, 1925-1945, 1949 and 1951, are also held in CHC 85/1, and for 1946-1959 in C/T 18; for ESCC health department files, including correspondence with nursing associations from 1938, and a file on the ESCNA, 1968, see C/H 4; for nursing services registers and indexes, including a midwifery register of the Ashurst, Eridge and Groombridge Association, 1931-1958, see C/H 5; for a ledger for the ESCNA, 1960/61 - 1967/68 see C/T 4/52; for day-books for 1951/52 - 1955/56, see C/T 5/11, 12; for ledger sheets, 1946/47 - 1960/61, see C/T 5/17

For the papers of Harry White as treasurer of Hailsham Nursing Association, 1920-1948, see AMS6160; for the minutes of the Groombridge and Ashurst Nursing Association, 1915-1939, see AMS6426; for an annual report of the Danehill and Horsted Keynes Nursing Association, 1964/65, see AMS6581; for papers of the Lewes District Nursing Association, 1898-1960, see ACC 5301; for a lease of Halloway Place, Hastings, to Hastings District Nursing Association, 1902, see MIL 2/15; for a history of the Brighton District Nursing Association, see ACC 8557

For annual returns submitted to the Charity Commission by nursing associations, see CHC 9/13 (Brighton, Hove and Preston, 1925-1930, 1946), 25/2 (Forest Row, 1913/14, 1917/18, 1928/29), 31/1 (Hartfield (with Withyham from 1937), 1925/26 - 1952/53), 32/2 (Hastings and St Leonards, 1925/26 - 1938/39, 1940/41, 1942/43), 42/2 (Lewes, 1925/26 - 1942/43) and 64/1 (Rottingdean, 1947)

For minutes of East Sussex County Council Public Health Committee, 1902-1918, see C/C11/13; for minutes of the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee, 1918-1948, see C/C11/54/1-5; for minutes of the Health Committee, 1947-1952, see C/C11/78/1-3; for minutes of the Nursing Services Sub-Committee, 1948-1953, see C/C11/78/7-9; for minutes of the Nursing Services and Care Sub-Committee, 1953-1968, see C/C11/89/7-11

Sussex County Nursing Association, 1902-1918

East Sussex Nursing Federation, 1918-1949

East Sussex County Nursing Association, 1949-1970

Items in this catalogue are closed to public inspection for 30 years from the last date of a document

Donated 29 May 2001 (ACC 8354)

• East Sussex
• Nursing

During the 1890s there was a growth in East Sussex of local nursing associations, which financed district nurses to provide midwifery and general health-care for poorer people. In November 1901 a meeting was held at 24 Park Lane, the London home of Lord and Lady Brassey of Normanhurst in Catsfield, to which delegates from most local nursing associations were invited. Its aim was to found a general county nursing association affiliated to the Queen Victoria Jubilee Institute, with a paid nursing superintendent, which could co-ordinate the voluntary local nursing associations, and train and supervise nurses in the county. The Sussex County Nursing Association was established in October 1902, and many local associations soon became affiliated

The Midwives Act, 1902, had empowered local authorities to inspect and license midwives, and raise standards. The act was administered in East Sussex by the Public Health Committee of ESCC, which worked closely with the Sussex County Nursing Association, and granted nursing scholarships to train midwives. The Education (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1907, initiated a system of medical inspection of children attending public elementary schools. In October 1909 a scheme came into effect where the East Sussex Education Department paid district nurses for such inspections

In 1918 the Sussex County Nursing Association was divided between East and West Sussex, because its work had grown and there were difficulties in dealing with two county authorities. The East Sussex Nursing Federation came into operation in April 1918

The Maternity and Child Welfare Act, 1918, made it a statutory duty for county and county boroughs to set up a committee for maternity and child welfare matters, which was empowered to take steps to safeguard the health of expectant mothers, and of children under five. The resulting East Sussex County Council Maternity and Child Welfare Committee also assumed the county council's functions under the Midwives Act of 1902. East Sussex County Council contracted the Sussex County Nursing Association, and later the East Sussex Nursing Federation, to carry out duties relating to midwifery, infant visiting and school nursing services (for agreements, 1916-1947, see AMS6583/15 below). The provision of a midwifery service was made compulsory under the Midwives Act, 1936

After the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948, East Sussex County Council exercised the discretion given by the National Health Service Act, 1946, and retained the East Sussex County Nursing Federation as its agent for the employment of district nurses, and the provision of a home nursing and midwifery service through the local district nursing associations. In 1949 it was agreed that its name should be changed to the East Sussex County Nursing Association, following a request from the Queen's Institute of District Nursing; East Sussex was the only county to delegate fully agency powers to such an association. The county council made a similar arrangement with the Hove and Portslade Nursing Association to cover the Borough of Hove and the Urban District of Portslade-by-Sea

In 1947 the federation inaugurated a mobile Home Physiotherapy Service, which initially provided six vans, each in the charge of the trained physiotherapist, to provide treatment particularly in rural areas

The Little Black Bag Housing Association was registered in November 1965 with the object of providing flatlets for the accommodation of retired nursing sisters. A site was obtained at the Holy Cross Convent, Bolnore Road, Haywards Heath, in 1970, and the flats were called Joan Nightingale House. The Little Black Bag Housing Association is now (2001) managed by the Eldon Housing Association, Purley

The East Sussex Nursing Association was based at 27a High Street, Lewes from 1946 until 1968, when it moved to County Hall, Lewes. The association's clerical staff was then merged with that of the County Medical Officer of Health's Department. At a Special Meeting of the association on 19 May 1969, it was decided that the association would relinquish its delegated functions on behalf of ESCC from 31 Mar 1970 due to changing conditions in the health service and pending local government reorganisation. It would be reconstituted as a trust to carry on the work of the Pensions Fund, and continue welfare work for serving and retired nurses with the funds. In 1973 the registered office of the trust moved from County Hall to Joan Nightingale House, which is where these records used to be stored