Nurses (Scotland) Act 1951

PART II Training of Nurses

19 Regional nurse-training committees

(1) The Secretary of State shall, after consulting the Council, by order constitute, in accordance with the provisions contained in the Fourth Schedule to this Act, a regional nurse-training committee for each area as hereinafter defined and any such committee shall exercise, as respects the area for which it has been so constituted, the functions in this Act assigned to it.

(2) It shall be the duty of a regional nurse-training committee—

(a) generally to supervise the training of nurses in accordance with the training rules, and in particular to have regard, as respects persons engaged in such training, to the methods employed by those persons of training nurses;

(b) to report to the Council from time to time on the matters referred to in the last foregoing paragraph; and

(c) to advise and assist the Council on matters referred to it by the Council which may include matters relating to the approval of institutions for the purposes of the training rules.

(3) The supplementary provisions contained in the Fourth Schedule to this Act shall have effect with respect to regional nurse-training committees.

(4) In this section the expression " area " means a hospital area:

Provided that the Secretary of State may by order direct that an area consisting of two or more hospital areas shall be an area for the purposes of this section.

20 Schemes for training of nurses

(1) Where it appears to it necessary, in order to ensure that full and proper use is made of resources available for the purpose, a regional nurse-training committee may prepare and submit to the Council a scheme for the training of nurses, either by a Board of Management acting on behalf of a Regional Hospital Board, or by any other authority or person engaged in the training of nurses who makes a request in that behalf to the committee, or jointly by any two or more such Boards of Management, authorities or persons.

(2) Before preparing a scheme under the last foregoing subsection a regional nurse-training committee shall consult any Regional Hospital Board concerned, and shall on or before the day on which the scheme is submitted to the Council serve a copy of the scheme on any such Regional Hospital Board.

(3) The Council may approve, with or without modifications (which may include additions or exceptions), any scheme submitted to them under subsection (1) of this section:

Provided that where any Regional Hospital Board on whom a copy of the scheme is required by the last foregoing subsection to be served, represents, within two months after such service, that the scheme, so far as it relates to a hospital vested in the Secretary of State and situated in the area of the Board, should not be approved or should be approved subject to such modifications as may be specified in the representations, the Council shall before approving the scheme give due consideration to the representations.

(4) Subject to the provisions of section twenty-four of this Act, a scheme approved under this section may be varied or revoked by a subsequent scheme so approved, or by the Council.

(5) An institution in which the training of nurses is carried on in accordance with a scheme for the time being approved under this section shall be deemed to be an approved institution for the purposes of the training rules.

21 Research and experimental training of nurses

(1) It shall be the duty of a regional nurse-training committee to promote, with a view to securing the improvement of methods of training nurses, research and investigation into matters relating to the training of nurses, and to render to the Council reports of the results of research and investigation promoted by the committee.

(2) If the Council are of opinion that it would be advantageous that a trial should be made of a scheme of training and examinations to be undergone and passed by persons as a condition of their admission to the register or, as the case may be, the roll, being training and examinations differing from, but appearing to the Council to be no less efficient than, the training and examinations for the time being required by rules made by the Council to be so undergone and passed, they may, with the approval of the Secretary of State, by resolution adopt the scheme for such period as may be specified in the resolution and in relation to such institutions situated in such area for which a regional nurse-training committee is constituted under this Act as may be so specified, being institutions appearing to the Council to be suitable for the purpose of carrying out the scheme therein.

(3) A scheme of training and examinations adopted by a resolution of the Council under this section shall provide that, during the period for which it is so adopted, persons who undergo to the satisfaction of the Council, in an institution or institutions specified in the resolution adopting the scheme, the training specified in the scheme and who pass the examinations so specified shall, notwithstanding anything in any rules made by the Council, be entitled on making an application in that behalf to be admitted to the register or, as the case may be, the roll, and may contain such incidental and supplementary provisions (including provisions for charging fees in respect of the undergoing of examinations specified in the scheme) as appear to the Council to be requisite or expedient for the purposes of the scheme.

(4) The period for which a scheme of training and examinations is adopted under this section may from time to time be extended by resolution of the Council for such period as may be specified in the resolution.

22 Expenditure on training of nurses

(1) Expenditure incurred by a Board of Management in respect of the training of nurses, being expenditure of such description as the Secretary of State may specify for the purpose of this subsection, shall, so far as it is incurred in accordance with estimates approved by the regional nurse-training committee, instead of being defrayed in accordance with section fifty-four of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act, 1947, be defrayed by that committee.

(2) A regional nurse-training committee may make contributions towards the expenses incurred in training nurses by any authority or person, other than a Board of Management, engaged in training nurses in the area for which the committee is constituted.

(3) Any question arising under subsection (1) of this section shall be determined by the Secretary of State.

23 Expenses of regional nurse-training committees

All expenses incurred by a regional nurse-training commit-: tee with the approval of the Council shall be defrayed by the Council.

24 Provisions relating to approval of training institutions

(1) If the Council are of opinion that they would be justified in—

(a) refusing to approve an institution for the purposes of the training rules, or

(b) withdrawing approval given by them for those purposes to an institution, or

(c) varying or revoking a scheme for the training of nurses approved under section twenty of this Act,

they shall give to the persons responsible for the management of the institution or, as the case may be, to the persons responsible for the management of any institution which, if the variation or revocation of the scheme takes effect, would cease to be an approved institution for the purposes of the training rules, notice of such opinion and of the grounds on which it was arrived at, and shall not proceed to a final determination of the question whether or not to refuse to approve the institution or to withdraw their approval thereof or to vary or revoke the scheme, as the case may be, until they have afforded those persons an opportunity of making representations in writing to- the Council and, if required by such persons, of being heard by the Council.

(2) The Council shall notify their final determination of any such question as aforesaid to the persons to whom they are required by the last foregoing subsection to give such a notice as is therein mentioned, and any such persons may at any time before the expiry of twenty-eight days from the notification to them of the determination of the Council require the matter to be referred to the decision of two persons or more appointed for the purpose by the Lord President of the Court of Session.

(3) There shall be paid to any persons appointed under the last foregoing subsection such fees and allowances as the Treasury may determine, and any sums required for the payment of such fees and allowances shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament.

25 Fees and contributions in respect of training institutions

(1) The Council may charge the persons responsible for the management of institutions approved by the Council for the purposes of the training rules and the persons responsible for the management of institutions the approval whereof by the Council for those purposes is sought by them, not being, in either case, institutions vested in the Secretary of State, such fees respectively, by way of contribution towards the expenses incurred in inspecting and approving institutions for those purposes, as may be prescribed.

(2) The Secretary of State may make to the Council, out of moneys provided by Parliament, contributions of such amounts as he may determine towards the expenses of the Council in inspecting and approving for the purposes of the training rules institutions vested in him.

26 Reports by Council to Secretary of State with respect to training of nurses

The Council shall annually, at such date as the Secretary of State may direct, make to the Secretary of State a report as to the discharge by them during the preceding year of their functions with respect to the training of nurses, and the Secretary of State shall lay every such report before Parliament.