Government policy on day nurseries for children of hospital staff

The 1966 Memorandum Day Nurseries for Children of Hospital Staff (H.M.66) still represents the main guidance to hospitals on the subject of day nurseries. Its essential propositions are as follows: 1. Hospitals should consider establishing nurseries to help recruit and retain staff, especially women with children under 5 years old who may only be available for employment on a part time basis. 2. Nurseries are likely to be rather costly, so it is particularly important to ascertain first whether alternative forms of day care are available in the area and secondly whether the staff attracted to the hospital merit the expenditure on the additional staff needed to run the nursery itself.