Ellen Musson

Dame Ellen Mary Musson, DBE (11 August 1867 – 7 November 1960[1]) was Chair of the General Nursing Council for England and Wales. Her nursing career began in 1898. She served prominently at St Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, London.

Dame Ellen Musson

She was raised in Clitheroe, Lancashire. Her father, William Edward Musson, was a surgeon, trained at St Thomas' Hospital. She decided, aged 27, to train as a nurse. She started her training on 1 February 1895 at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. She retired in February 1923. Half of her tenure had been spent at Birmingham General Hospital. She spent the next two decades working to improve the status of nursing with the College of Nursing and the General Nursing Council.[2]

TFNS

Musson joined the Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS) when it was established in 1908, and served as Principal Matron from 1915 to 1918. The TFNS was the nursing wing of the Territorial Army, it consisted of civilian nurses who would provide a reserve of trained nurses for the army, in the event of war. Under the organisation of the TFNS, the country was divided into six regions, and Musson was appointed one of the two matrons for the Birmingham Region. Like other matrons in the TFNS, she encouraged her nurses to join.[3]

Royal College of Nursing

Ellen Musson was a founder member of the Royal College of Nursing, and served as a Council Member from 1916 to 1939; as Honorary Treasurer from 1938 to 1950; as Vice-President from 1950 to 1960; and as Chairman of the General Nursing Council from 1926 to 1944.

Honours
  • In 1932, Musson received an Honorary LL.D from the University of Leeds
  • In 1939, Musson was named DBE
  • In 1939, Musson was awarded the International Florence Nightingale Medal, a medal awarded by the International Red Cross Society every two years for outstanding service to the nursing profession

Death

Dame Ellen Musson died in Eastbourne, Sussex on 7 November 1960, aged 93.[4]

References
  1. "Dame Ellen Musson". The Times. London, England, UK. 9 November 1960. p. 16. Retrieved 5 August 2014 – via Times Digital Archive: Brighton and Hove Libraries.
  2. Dame Ellen Musson career history Archived 24 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, rcn.org.uk; accessed 5 December 2016.
  3. Dame Ellen Musson career history, ibid. Archived 24 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Profile, Dictionary of National Biography; accessed 1 July 2017.(subscription required)
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