The nurse management of 17 hospitals and the community nursing services in the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne & Head of largest Nurse Training School in the UK)
Previously the hospitals consisted of three separate management boards namely (1) the former Board of Governors based on the Royal Victoria Infirmary (650 beds plus a Dental Teaching Hospital and several smaller hospitals covering paediatrics and midwifery. (2) The Hospital Management Committee of the Newcastle General Hospital (1085 beds) and several smaller satellite hospitals including an important eye hospital, Walker Gate hospital and (3) the Mental Hospital Group based on St. Nicholas Hospital (800 beds). In 1976 a further general hospital was commissioned named Freeman Hospital (810 beds)
In 1974 the community services of District Nursing, Health Visiting, Community Midwifery and School Nursing was transferred to the Health Authority.
Anthony’s main task was to bring the nursing services into one large group of services. He did this by delegating large areas of responsibility to staff with equal authority needed to carry out their functions. Ward sisters were offered training for the Further Education Teachers Certificate of the City and Guilds (730). Later a large post-graduate scheme was created with twelve post-basic courses offered to qualified staff. A scheme to allow staff to obtain PhD’s was created in co-operation with what was to become the Northumbria University with the first four out of six candidates eventually becoming professors of nursing. See ‘Partners in Tyne (1983)
A communication system of policies and guidance was issued to staff at ward level on a regular basis so that policies and procedures were common on each ward.