Summary
Staff at the North Staffs Royal Infirmary and the City General Hospital were in friendly rivalry when the two hospitals worked independently of each other. According to a retired nursing sister, the Infirmary was called the 'cottage hospital on the hill' by staff at the City General, which in turn was dubbed 'the workhouse'. However, one aspect was common to both hospitals - nurses were required to keep wards at a high standard of cleanliness. At that time the area's life expectancy was much lower than it is today. Before the National Health Service was founded in 1948, the biggest killer was pneumonia, which accounted for the deaths of up to 50 per cent of patients. John Abberley looks at the two hospitals in the days when they operated with primitive technology and a minimum of medical staff
The entire staff of the North Staffs Royal Infirmary at the inauguration of the National Health Service in 1948. In the foreground is the hospital president, Sir Ernest Johnson, flanked by the hospital secretary, Thornburrow Gibson, and the matron, Miss Eva Blakemore.See the full content of this document
Extract
Date: 1920s to 1960s Place: Hartshill
Patients and nurses pictured in the female day room at th...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
