17. Christmas day in the Workhouse

In fact it was West Hill Hospital that started life as a Work House wasn't it, not Joyce Green ?

So although some in-patients at Joyce Green might have known hard times during Christmas periods, perhaps it is reasonable to assume that on the whole most patients were well looked after in the wards at Christmas ?

At Joyce Green (and perhaps it happened in other hospitals too) a scratch choir of nurses in full uniform with their flowing capes turned inside out to reveal the bright red linings used to muster at in the hall outside outside Matron's office at around 8.30pm and then two groups would set out in different directions to sing a couple of Christmas carols on each of the wards with each nurse carrying a candle-bearing lantern and a song sheet.

The nurses on-duty in each of the wards would - once the carollers were marshalled at the main door of their particular ward - turn off the main ward lights and having flung open the wards doors would allow the group to process slowly around each ward fulfilling the annual tradition and declaring the age old Christmas story in song.

The patient-care workload had usually been carefully managed in the run-up to Christmas so that no dressings were done on Christmas morning itself (unless warranted). Patients wouldn't have their hair-washed that particular morning and any other similar tasks which COULD be postponed until the following day were put on hold so that the patients could be spoiled over more leisurely breakfasts than was usually the case.

In fact, as in millions of homes across the country, the predominant activity of Christmas day was eating and was based around preparing the patients and the ward for lunch (and then later on, the evening meal).

For those patients who wanted to go there was the opportunity to go (... or to be taken ...) to either the Anglican chapel or the Roman Catholic church in the grounds for the appropriate Morning Service or Mess. Then in the afternoon - and again in the evening - family members and friends were allowed to come onto the wards during the designated visiting hours. But the highlight of the day - first for the patients and then a little later for the nursing staff - was the Christmas lunch with pride of place being given to the huge turkeys that were sent from the main hospital kitchen.

It was customary for one of the Consultant staff on each ward to turn up and to carve the bird - after having first visited each patient and exchanged Christmas greetings with them - and although this could be easily interpreted as yet another example of the prevailing paternalistic pattern of medical staff behaviour, nonetheless both the ward nursing staff and the patients seemed to relish their participation.

Perhaps it made everyone feel that they were not forgotten at a time when everyone else was at home with their families. Certainly the word of thanks from the Consultant Physician or Surgeon to the nurses who were assembled together for their own lunch three quarters of an hour or so later (often in an empty side ward), before the the Consultant left to go home, was usually both anticipated and appreciated.

Wherever possible nurses on the morning shift were allowed to go off duty early and some of the afternoon/eve shift staff were also allowed to come on duty a little later too. This was possible because once the patient's visitors were installed a useful interval existed during which time the nurses were not required to be very active on the battle front (unless of course a patient required something).

Of course emergency admissions arrived even on Christmas Day and sadly some patients "saw in" Christmas Eve/Christmas Day but didn't "see it out" and in both sets of circumstances upset relatives had to be assisted and counselled.

Thus once again I can look back and re-feel the sense of almost tangible relief felt by many of the patients, relatives and members of staff at the end of the big day that the day had (usually) "gone well", with fewer emegencies and unexpected happenings than were potentially possible.