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Dudley Road Hospital -Peter Walker

My Mother worked there in the early 1950's non-medic I hasten to add . In a cleaning capacity I think, when I did get a bit older my Mother told tales of leeches as small as anything being taken down to the theatre ocassionally ,then being returned to the lab huge gorged on the poison they had sucked from some infected wound or somesuch . As a kid in the 50's I used to conjure up mental pictures of what these leeches would look like after theirb trip to theatre .
 
The change may have come about in March 1994, when 20 new health trust boards were set up in West Midlands.
 
being of the old school i still call it dudley road hospital which will be demolished in the near future i believe...my 4 children were all born there

lyn
 
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I live in Australia and had a doctor in my local hospital tell me he used to work in Dudley Road Hospital. My brother was born there in 1956. I was born at home in Alum Rock.
 
Hi Pam started my SEN training 1967 DRH. It was a new course ran by the Nursing School I was in set 3. Many years later did a conversion course for my RGN at Wolverhampton University , but nothing really measures up to the DRH nursing school way back then.
 
Hope this gives you all a chuckle with all the doom and gloom.
I started my SEN training now defunct in 1967at Dudley Road Hospital.
I remember that we were observed doing a bed bath before they let us loose on our own,
2 green as grass trainee nurses, I male patient, I bowel, 2 flannels.
I flannel face, upper body. Change water, 2 flannel lower regions, and legs.
Lower regions ask the patient if he wanted to do the task himself.
So far so good.
I was washing, the other trainee wiping, patient I guess 50’s recovering very well from a heart attack.
I ask after changing the water I asked the patient do you want to wash lower down, no problem, you can.
I looked at the other nurse our faces were a picture, you sure I said , no carry on.
I hasten to say it was a very quick wash, and dry.
 
Hope this gives you all a chuckle with all the doom and gloom.
I started my SEN training now defunct in 1967at Dudley Road Hospital.
I remember that we were observed doing a bed bath before they let us loose on our own,
2 green as grass trainee nurses, I male patient, I bowel, 2 flannels.
I flannel face, upper body. Change water, 2 flannel lower regions, and legs.
Lower regions ask the patient if he wanted to do the task himself.
So far so good.
I was washing, the other trainee wiping, patient I guess 50’s recovering very well from a heart attack.
I ask after changing the water I asked the patient do you want to wash lower down, no problem, you can.
I looked at the other nurse our faces were a picture, you sure I said , no carry on.
I hasten to say it was a very quick wash, and dry.
Nice one Diane - sounds like a scene from "Carry on Nurse" !!
My mother trained at Summerfield during the early 60's. Not sure whether her training was for SEN or SRN - is there a difference?
 
hi roger i think SEN is state enrolled nurse and SRN is state registered nurse but not sure what is the difference...my mother in law was SRN but diane will know

lyn
 
Hope this gives you all a chuckle with all the doom and gloom.
I started my SEN training now defunct in 1967at Dudley Road Hospital.
I remember that we were observed doing a bed bath before they let us loose on our own,
2 green as grass trainee nurses, I male patient, I bowel, 2 flannels.
I flannel face, upper body. Change water, 2 flannel lower regions, and legs.
Lower regions ask the patient if he wanted to do the task himself.
So far so good.
I was washing, the other trainee wiping, patient I guess 50’s recovering very well from a heart attack.
I ask after changing the water I asked the patient do you want to wash lower down, no problem, you can.
I looked at the other nurse our faces were a picture, you sure I said , no carry on.
I hasten to say it was a very quick wash, and dry.
oooo :grinning:
 
Roger I would say at a guess SEN .I was in set 3 of pupil nurse training.. It was a new venture that incorporated general, and elderly care training together. Before that I believe the SEN was just elderly focused.
I started in 1967, and the venture started 1966.
RGN or SRN did not have to go to Summerfield Hospital.
I did 3 months my first year, and 3 months my second year there.
Roger your Mother must have been amazing.
The work was hard, and long hours. Equipment was none existent.
In fact one ward I worked on had one set of screen, no Curtains around the bed there.
Back in the 60’s Summerfield or Western Road was a 1,000 bed hospital running at full capacity.
It was not until 1997 that I became a RGN.
However, having worked at Heartlands, Walsall Manor, and Good Hope, and for very short periods Selly Oak, and Moseley Hall, nothing matched those days nursing wise.
If you want to know a little more about Summerfield back then message me. Somethings were not so good.
Diane
 
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