Muriel Powell (nurse)

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Not to be confused with Muriel Powell (Chailey Heritage and Searchlight).

Muriel Powell
Plaque on the clock tower, Cinderford - geograph.org.uk - 728716.jpg
Plaque on the clock tower, Cinderford, Gloucestershire
Born
Muriel Betty Powell

(1914-10-30)30 October 1914
Ruspidge, Gloucestershire, England
Died8 December 1978(1978-12-08) (aged 64)
Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationNurse, public servant

Muriel Betty Powell, DBE (30 October 1914 – 8 December 1978), was a British nurse, hospital matron, public servant, and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for the Scottish Home and Health Department (SHHD).[1][2]

Life and career[]

She was born in Ruspidge, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and was educated in nearby Cinderford.[3]

In 1947, aged 32, Powell became matron at St George's Hospital, London.[1] Her age reportedly "raised eyebrows" among the medical establishment, which deemed her too young for the position, but she proved her critics wrong and would remain there for 22 years. Powell was part of the government committee that recommended removal of the title "matron" from the National Health Service in 1968. The title has since been gradually reintroduced to the NHS lexicon.[4]

She was appointed Chief Nursing Officer in Scotland in 1970. However, it soon became clear that she suffered from dementia, and retired in 1976. She returned to Gloucestershire, where she died in a psychiatric hospital in 1978, aged 64.[1]

DBE[]

Muriel Powell was appointed as a Dame (DBE) in 1968 for her services to nursing, including her tenure as matron of St George's Hospital, London.[1]

Legacy[]

The St George's Nurses League presents the Dame Muriel Powell Award to those who have made important contributions in the field of nursing.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d David Brindle, "Victim of Ignorance: How Dementia Blighted a Brilliant Nursing Reputation". London, United Kingdom: The Guardian, October 18, 2000. Retrieved 21 March 2021
  2. ^ "Dame Muriel Powell (1914-1978), Chief Nursing Officer and matron of St George's Hospital". London, United Kingdom: National Portrait Gallery, retrieved online August 30, 2018.
  3. ^ Dame Muriel Powell, Foresters' Forest. Retrieved 21 March 2021
  4. ^ Scott EJ. "Dame Muriel Powell (1914-1978): role model of a hospital matron and leader of nursing".
  5. ^ "Thank you to St George's nurses". www.stgeorges.nhs.uk (Press release). St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2016.

Sources[]

  • Thurgood, G. "Muriel Powell Remembered. A Profile of her Life", Journal of Nursing Management (July 2001)
  • Scott, Elizabeth J. C. "Dame Muriel Powell (1914-1978): role model of a hospital matron and leader of nursing". Journal of Medical Biography, Royal Society of Medicine publication; PMID 12522493 (as per the NCBI).

External links[]

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