Florence Eileen Elliott

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(6 October 1905 – 2 August 1996) was a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

who has been described as "one of the most outstanding nurses that Northern Ireland has produced". She was awarded an OBE in 1951.

Family and early life

Born in 1905 to Robert (Robin) Cummings Elliott, Presbyterian minister of Duneane (Antrim) and Florence Wheeler Elliott (nee Steed) in Randalstown. She had a sister, Doreen Mary and a brother Robert (Robin)Cummings. Her uncle on her father's side was Rowley Elliott, MP. Affectionately known as "Lyla", she was a sickly child, which may have led her to a career as a nurse.

Training

Elliott trained at the

Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast The Royal Victoria Hospital commonly known as "the Royal", the "RVH" or "the Royal Belfast", is a hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is managed by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. The hospital has a Regional Virus Centre, which ...

, qualifying as a registered nurse in 1930. After several years she attended the

Elsie Inglis Memorial Maternity Hospital The Elsie Inglis Memorial Maternity Hospital was a maternity hospital in Holyrood, Edinburgh, Scotland. History The hospital was established with surplus funds arising from disbandment of the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service, an o ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

to train for six months as a midwife.

Career

After she qualified, Elliott remained at the Royal working as Sister of Wards 7 and 8 before going to Edinburgh to train as midwife. She then remained there working as a midwife and midwifery sister following her training. She returned to Belfast somewhat reluctantly to take up the post of Matron of Whiteabbey Sanatorium in 1943, after being encouraged to apply for the position. The sanatorium was in a state of low morale further acerbated by a newspaper scandal and over a three-year period, Elliott worked to readdress these issues, establishing a training scheme for all the nurses, affiliating the sanatorium with Belfast City Hospital, as they were previously unable to get recognition outside the hospital. Again somewhat reluctantly, in 1946 she took up the post of Matron at the Royal Victoria Hospital, the first Royal trained nurse as well as the first from Northern Ireland to hold this position, remaining there until retirement in 1966. Whilst at the Royal she ensured that nurses under her charge went on training courses across the UK as well as locally. She also sought out bursaries and scholarships from Denmark, Paris and Columbia University to help her staff. Starting out in the role Elliott was instrumental in the successful transition of her staff and patients into the new

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

in 1948. With the resulting expansion of the hospital in 1950 Elliott "compelled the respect of the Medical Staff and the devotion of her nurses throughout this difficult period". In 1949 Elliott formed the Royal Victoria Hospital League of Nurses, which was instrumental to keeping nurses in contact with the hospital and contributed to staffing issues by attracting former nurses to work again. A highly respected nurse, Elliott was known for her work not only augmenting the training and working conditions of her nurses but improving patients' comfort and experience. This included such changes as coloured bedsheets, individual trays, full evening meals, cooked breakfast, full bed curtains for added privacy, extended visiting periods, and a night admissions unit to minimise disturbance of sleeping patients.

Later years

Following retirement she was awarded an Honorary Masters from Queen's University, Belfast. She moved to

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, living with her friend Joyce Long, establishing an Australian branch of the Royal Victoria Hospital League of Nurses and was a point of contact for Royal nurses, medical students and doctors. She returned to Belfast in 1990, accompanied by Long, settling in Templepatrick, remaining there until her death.

Awards and legacy

*1951 OBE (civil division) *1964-65 UK vice-president of Royal College of Nursing *1966 Life Governor of the Royal Victoria Hospital *1967 Honorary Master of Arts (MA) Degree at Queen's University, Belfast *1982 Annual Florence Elliott Lecture was instituted in her honour *1994 The Florence Elliott Prize for candidates for the BSc (Honours) or Diploma in Nursing Sciences at Queen's University *1994 The Florence Elliott Scholarship Fund for staff in School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Florence Nurses from Northern Ireland Officers of the Order of the British Empire Health professionals from Belfast 1905 births 1996 deaths People from Randalstown Health professionals from County Antrim