Private nurses were employed at the RBH from 1873.These schemes served several purposes: The primary aim was to provide well qualified, private nurses to the local community and neighbouring hospitals, whilst also providing a safe, respectable place for the nurses to live. The nurses remained employees of the hospital and thus became advocates for the quality and prestige of their training hospital as well as bringing in valuable additional income The scheme was to be self-financing with a fee payable to the RBH (the fee was waived in special circumstances for example those with reduced circumstances).

Scrutiny of the fees charged for their services gives an insight into the early work of these nurses. ‘Normal’ circumstances were defined as the care of surgical patients and nursing mothers, with the cost of a private nurse being £1. 1s. 0d. per week. For patients deemed as more complex, such as infectious cases and persons with mental ill health the fees were higher £1. 11s .6d and £2. 2s. 0d, respectively.

Members of the public or a local hospital hiring a private nurse from the RBH were expected to abide by rules and regulations set by the RBH. The private nurses were not to accept gifts, have no alcohol and to be given a night off every third night shift. Should a private nurse be involved in continuous care they were required to have a break of at least 8 hours, away from the sick room or ward area. The importance of abiding by this rule and regulation is seen with an entry in the RBH board minutes concerning the employment of one such nurse at the Wallingford and Crowmarsh Isolation hospital (WCJIH). This private nurse was not given a separate area for her break being required to sleep in the ward area where she was working. This resulted in the nurse being recalled from WCJIH and subsequently no private nurses were to be sent to the WCJIH until this situation could be remedied.

The employment history of private nurses gives an indication of the personal attributes required and their length of service. Necessary qualities consisted of being adaptable, unselfish, loyal, conscientious, and kind. Length of service varied. It is clear that for some nurses this was their long-term home and career as private nurses who completed 21 years of continuous employment, were entitled to a long service award of a silver tea set presented by the board of governors. 

Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre at the Royal Berkshire Hospital,

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