Nursing through history's worst pandemics - past and present

Just over one hundred years ago this month, our Melbourne District Nursing Society (MDNS) was at the epicentre of Australia’s Spanish flu outbreak.

Our nurses cared for thousands of Spanish flu patients and their families in 1919, stepping into the unknown amid a global pandemic that killed up to 15,000 Australians and 20 million people worldwide.

At the start of the outbreak, the nurses either walked, rode bicycles or caught trams to make home visits. The surge in demand for home nursing compelled them to change their means of transport. The company minutes of the time include a priceless reference that “The Matron and several of the Nurses got their driver’s licence for the first time” as a result of the high demand.

Over the years our organisation has continued to grow and innovate with our care teams consistently showing leadership through difficult times. With the Queens Warrant, the MDNS name was changed to the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) and following a merger with RSL Care Qld, we’ve become known as Bolton Clarke - the name honours two community leaders from our history who helped shape our organisation and values.

The more things change the more some things have stayed the same. In between global pandemics, our teams have worked through the great depression, two world wars and successfully managed outbreaks of SARS, HIV/AIDs, MERS, Swine Flu (H1N1) and Zika while dealing with a rapidly increasing number of natural disasters and weather events.

Today as we support clients and residents through our latest COVID-19 pandemic, we’re proud to be part of a 7,600 strong workforce with a remarkable history of dedication and care during the most difficult of times. The determination and values of our early nurses, who courageously dealt with the Spanish Flu, is serving as inspiration for all our care teams during the current health crisis.

If our history tells us anything, it tells us we will get through these times and we will emerge in good shape.

Our MDNS nurses went into the first global pandemic on bikes and came out in cars. We still use the cars (albeit with some improvements) and we will come out of COVID-19 with enhanced telehealth and connecting technologies like virtual visits and assistive technology such as home monitoring.

Although Bolton Clarke has grown and changed, the constant over all that time has been the professionalism, the courage and the focus on care. These qualities have kept the spirit of our early nurses alive in every one of the 4 million home care visits we make every year and throughout our 25 residential aged care communities.

I’m honoured and proud to be working with such a fine group of people and teammates.