Sir Henry Parkes and the relationships that enabled Nightingale Nursing to advance mental healthcare in nineteenth century Australia

Journal article


Raeburn, Toby, McDonald, Paul, Schapiro, Sophie and O'Reilly, Rebecca. (2025). Sir Henry Parkes and the relationships that enabled Nightingale Nursing to advance mental healthcare in nineteenth century Australia. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 34(1), p. Article e13430. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13430
AuthorsRaeburn, Toby, McDonald, Paul, Schapiro, Sophie and O'Reilly, Rebecca
Abstract

This position paper explores famous colonial Australian politician Sir Henry Parkes use of relationships to reform colonial Australian mental healthcare by facilitating the integration of Nightingale-trained nurses into hospitals for the insane in the late nineteenth century. A review of historical sources including primary documents reveals that Parkes exhibited astute political skill by developing relationships with influential healthcare leaders such as Florence Nightingale, Lucy Osburn and Dr. Frederic Norton Manning. As Parkes cultivated friendships with such people, he was able to sow seeds for the deployment of Nightingale nurses including two members from the original group of six nurses sent by Nightingale to Australia in 1868, as well as three nurses trained under their supervision (probationers) into hospitals for the insane. This historical account provides evidence that enables current-day nurses to understand ways in which events of the past have contributed to the development of present-day mental health services and systems. Parkes' legacy also encourages contemporary nurses who are interested in change to consider the importance of forging diverse strategic relationships to bring their own visions into reality.

Year2025
JournalInternational Journal of Mental Health Nursing
Journal citation34 (1), p. Article e13430
PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
ISSN1445-8330
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13430
PubMed ID39302042
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85205335748
PubMed Central IDPMC11751756
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Page range1-8
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online20 Sep 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted01 Sep 2024
Deposited07 May 2025
Additional information

© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Mental Health Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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