1. The launch of the blogsite.
Welcome to the site !
Whether you have stumbled on this blogsite by accident or were deliberately looking for sites that are linked with Joyce Green Hospital (or even other Dartford hospitals) .... congratulations on reaching THIS one ! But what is this site about and who does it belong to ?
The purpose of the site ?
This site, which was unceremoniously launched on 14th October 2006, was set up to attract the comments, the views, the reminiscences and the questions of individuals who have any interest whatsoever in the former premises, the associated staff and users and the activities of (the now-demolished) Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford, Kent, England.
Who does it belong to ?
Well, it belongs to us, it's users and readers ... and so since you are reading it right now, it belongs - at least in part - to you. Thus in this case, it's YOU who are very welcome here today and I hope that you will enjoy your stop-over on the site.
Who has initiated this (hopefully) on-going project ?
I played a small part in Joyce Green's past and she (yes Joyce !) obviously played a part in my life too - or else I wouldn't be attempting to get this blogsite up and running.
My first contact with Joyce Green was when I was Cadet Nurse (a pre-Student Nurse) in 1964 when I was allocated to the Registry (which dealt with the admission of routine, "cold case" patients). Therefore since Joyce Green's history extends much, much further back than that, in the grand scheme of things I am a fairly "new kid on the block".
I began my 3 year training period as a Student Nurse within The Dartford School of Nursing in 1966, during which time I was based exclusively at JGH. After I qualified as an S.R.N (a State Registered Nurse) I worked as a Staff Nurse at the hospital for about 6mths and then I left the hospital and joined the staff of West Hill Hospital, Dartford.
There I undertook an Accident & Emergency Nursing course in the new A&E Department. This post-registration course was 6mths long and after that I "staffed" for 6mths within the A&E Dept and it's Accident Ward.
I finally left Dartford at the end of 1970 in order to begin a psychiatric nurse training course at The Bethlem Royal & Maudsley (Joint) Hospitals in Beckenham and London.
So ....compared with many other individuals, my contact with JGH was fairly short ... and yet somehow I still feel JG had a significant impact upon me. Thus I have many memories of the hospital, it's activities and of the many colleagues who I encountered there plus a number of friends from "the old days" with whom I am still in contact.
But who are you ?
So let me know ask about you and your reasons for visiting this site (unless of course you arrived here by accident or simply through curiousity) ?
What past connections or current interest do YOU have in JGH ? Maybe you will want to leave a comment or some information here ? Perhaps you will pose a question or mount the beginnings of a search for someone you used to know and want to contact ?
As I have already said, I am 'a new boy on the block' and thus I cannot possibly promise to deal with/or even respond to every individual comment, enquiry or reminiscence.
I am after all, at least for the moment anyway, a one-person band on this blogsite. However, who can tell, if word gets round, perhaps other Joyce-Greeners with their own legacies will come on board and join me in making this a lively site and one which YOU will hopefully feel that it is worth returning to ?
An acknowledgement and a word of thanks to end with today.
But what has stimulated this man to launch this blog now you might well be asking ? Well recently whilst web-searching for some information on JGH I came across a reference to a book called "Joyce Green and the River Hospitals" by Francine Payne (Published in 2001). Unfortunately it is now out of print but recently I was able to get hold of a second-hand copy through an on-line bookseller and as a result I have already spent several hours this week soaking up lots of information that was previously unknown to me and enjoying all the photographs in this incredibly interesting book.
So I want to thank Francine Payne for all the work that she obviously put into producing the book at the time and I'd like to suggest that if you are interested in re-visiting some of the work, the history and the personalities of JGH during 'her' long life you might want to begin searching for a copy of this book for yourself.
And so finally .... for now at least.
I hope that you have enjoyed your visit to this site ? Perhaps you have something that you want say, contribute or ask ? In any case perhaps you'll come back sometime and see how the site is developing and to check to see who else has "come on board" ? In conclusion let me make it clear that this is NOT intended to be a nursing orientated weblog and it is open to all Joyce-Greeners or anyone with an interest in things directly associated with JGH.
Meanwhile "continue well".
David.
The purpose of the site ?
This site, which was unceremoniously launched on 14th October 2006, was set up to attract the comments, the views, the reminiscences and the questions of individuals who have any interest whatsoever in the former premises, the associated staff and users and the activities of (the now-demolished) Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford, Kent, England.
Who does it belong to ?
Well, it belongs to us, it's users and readers ... and so since you are reading it right now, it belongs - at least in part - to you. Thus in this case, it's YOU who are very welcome here today and I hope that you will enjoy your stop-over on the site.
Who has initiated this (hopefully) on-going project ?
I played a small part in Joyce Green's past and she (yes Joyce !) obviously played a part in my life too - or else I wouldn't be attempting to get this blogsite up and running.
My first contact with Joyce Green was when I was Cadet Nurse (a pre-Student Nurse) in 1964 when I was allocated to the Registry (which dealt with the admission of routine, "cold case" patients). Therefore since Joyce Green's history extends much, much further back than that, in the grand scheme of things I am a fairly "new kid on the block".
I began my 3 year training period as a Student Nurse within The Dartford School of Nursing in 1966, during which time I was based exclusively at JGH. After I qualified as an S.R.N (a State Registered Nurse) I worked as a Staff Nurse at the hospital for about 6mths and then I left the hospital and joined the staff of West Hill Hospital, Dartford.
There I undertook an Accident & Emergency Nursing course in the new A&E Department. This post-registration course was 6mths long and after that I "staffed" for 6mths within the A&E Dept and it's Accident Ward.
I finally left Dartford at the end of 1970 in order to begin a psychiatric nurse training course at The Bethlem Royal & Maudsley (Joint) Hospitals in Beckenham and London.
So ....compared with many other individuals, my contact with JGH was fairly short ... and yet somehow I still feel JG had a significant impact upon me. Thus I have many memories of the hospital, it's activities and of the many colleagues who I encountered there plus a number of friends from "the old days" with whom I am still in contact.
But who are you ?
So let me know ask about you and your reasons for visiting this site (unless of course you arrived here by accident or simply through curiousity) ?
What past connections or current interest do YOU have in JGH ? Maybe you will want to leave a comment or some information here ? Perhaps you will pose a question or mount the beginnings of a search for someone you used to know and want to contact ?
As I have already said, I am 'a new boy on the block' and thus I cannot possibly promise to deal with/or even respond to every individual comment, enquiry or reminiscence.
I am after all, at least for the moment anyway, a one-person band on this blogsite. However, who can tell, if word gets round, perhaps other Joyce-Greeners with their own legacies will come on board and join me in making this a lively site and one which YOU will hopefully feel that it is worth returning to ?
An acknowledgement and a word of thanks to end with today.
But what has stimulated this man to launch this blog now you might well be asking ? Well recently whilst web-searching for some information on JGH I came across a reference to a book called "Joyce Green and the River Hospitals" by Francine Payne (Published in 2001). Unfortunately it is now out of print but recently I was able to get hold of a second-hand copy through an on-line bookseller and as a result I have already spent several hours this week soaking up lots of information that was previously unknown to me and enjoying all the photographs in this incredibly interesting book.
So I want to thank Francine Payne for all the work that she obviously put into producing the book at the time and I'd like to suggest that if you are interested in re-visiting some of the work, the history and the personalities of JGH during 'her' long life you might want to begin searching for a copy of this book for yourself.
And so finally .... for now at least.
I hope that you have enjoyed your visit to this site ? Perhaps you have something that you want say, contribute or ask ? In any case perhaps you'll come back sometime and see how the site is developing and to check to see who else has "come on board" ? In conclusion let me make it clear that this is NOT intended to be a nursing orientated weblog and it is open to all Joyce-Greeners or anyone with an interest in things directly associated with JGH.
Meanwhile "continue well".
David.
posted by David Jones @ Saturday, October 14, 2006
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