D50 #100WorkingDays The ward that never had patients

 Once appointed to MKUH, I took on a staff nurse role on Ward 2. We were a team of strangers that Annie, senior Sister and Jill her junior developed a program of activities to help us gel as a group. There was unpacking brand new beds, sheets and lots of pillows. There were carpet tiles on the floor, in the hope it would make the place quieter.

We organised shelving and had lessons on using the computer for the PAS - patient administration system. It was in a large monitor that worked with green font. We had to make up patient names, so in addition to Disney characters we had folk like Patty O’Doors, and Chester Draws. Though not so long ago, we had little electronic kit compared to the wards today. 38 years later I walked onto Ward 2 with a colleague and storage is a real problem for the wards.

We also went out to make visits to places such as the local coroners court, an undertakers, the crematorium and most interesting for me, the local hospice which had been open since 1981. That was a light bulb moment for me as earlier blog pieces have hinted at. So it was we got ready with a ward that had never had patients to becoming a busy mens medical ward, in a hospital newly built.

Not sure why a coach was outside the accidents department