D39 #100WorkingDays Mental Health care

 In my second year of training I was expected to have a placement in psychiatry. At the end of the 1970s there were still large psychiatric hospitals that had their foundations in the vast Victorian institutions that were built in rural locations, often near railway lines. They were self sufficient with farms and gardens to supply food stuffs. Railway connections enabled easy delivery of what needed bringing in, such as coal. The railway also brought visitors and once a month a special train would bring relatives (who could afford the trip) and sightseeing parties. 

Asylums were a place of curiosity for many. They were also a convenient place to house those who were regarded as abnormal in some way. Whether a physical disability, mental illness or some other cause the inmates were usually there for life. The hospital I was sent to on placement was one such place and some of the people housed there had been there for many years.

I was not a driver then and had no access to a car so it became a place of imprisonment in some way. There was a social club and sports such as badminton. There were students from our sister training hospital who provided diverting company, based on drinking and playing the music of Meatloaf very loud. The care in the unit I worked was rudimentary as many people were closed to being discharged, and certainly well enough to be allowed out to work unsupervised. It was not a happy place though. I will always remember the escape one weekend day when a friend from home in Morden who now lived closer north of the river came over in their car. It was springtime and they took me to Waddesdon Manor. It’s the 19th century French chateau style house built by the Rothschild family near Aylesbury. In those days you drove up to park almost in front of the house. The surprise you get on turning on the last part of the drive to be greeted by the house so well hidden, remains a treasured vision. The daffodils were extraordinary as was the sunlight. It was another reminder of the kindness of friends and the importance of being able to take time to refresh your mind and soul.

Waddesdon Manor