Crowd pleasers

Abstract

Some 60 years ago my mother was a surgical inpatient on a public ward in a West Yorkshire city. She subsequently riveted her children with a description of the experience. Catering was rudimentary and rations were generally supplemented by relatives, for the luckier patients at least. Clinical care was basically paternalistic and the patient was expected to become compliant and grateful. The consultant ward round was especially interesting. All the patients on the whole ward were to be in bed, with the top sheet turned down to exactly the same length. Hands were to be clearly visible resting on the exposed sheet. Nobody spoke unless spoken to by the consultant or sister in charge. Nothing else happened but clinical review of the patients: junior doctors or students presented the cases and were quizzed by the boss. Nursing comments were supplied by the sister, who was always accompanied by at least one other nurse as a runner for messages or to perform any task which could not be done at the bedside. No outsiders were allowed in the ward during the round.