RUSHDEN HOSPITAL

First Annual Report

Psychiatric Division

January 1984

BRIEF HOSPITAL HISTORY

In 1919 Rushden House was purchased by the Administrative Council for the County of Northamptonshire for the purpose of opening a Sanatorium for the treatment of patients suffering from all forms of Tuberculosis and in September 1921 the first patients were admitted to Rushden House Sanatorium.

Times were hard and treatment even harder but at least the 'White Plague' in Northamptonshire was being treated.  A very interesting but never-the-less another story.

The first major change occurred between 1934 and 1940 when three of the old Wooden Wards were replaced by four modern brick buildings providing much more comfort for patients and considerably better working conditions for staff and in 1960 a fourth hut was removed to provide space for a car park.  The two larger wards (20 beds) were in the periphery and used for convalescent patients and the two fourteen bedded wards were linked by corridors to a Treatment Centre where most of the curative measures pertaining to Tuberculosis were carried out.

Tuberculosis was on the decline and in 1957-58 a Dermatological Unit was opened in the large house comprising eleven beds.

In the early 1960s because of a further decline in Tuberculosis it was decided to admit patients suffering from other chest diseases such as Lung Cancer, Chronic Bronchitis, Asthma and Spontaneous Pneumothorax and the District Chest Service was born.

It seemed also appropriate at this time to rename the Hospital because of its connections with the past and instead of Rushden House Sanatorium it because just plain Rushden Hospital.  At that time there were eighty-three beds.

In 1968 because of the difficulties experienced by parents of children with Mental Handicap who had to travel to Pewsey in Wiltshire for assessment and treatment affecting their child, Colton Ward was partially converted in order to receive twenty such patients of various ages and varying disabilities.  At the same time a link corridor was built between Sharwood and Hensman Wards so that all Chest patients would be under cover to and from the Treatment Centre where chest X-ray, Bronchoscopies, Chest Aspirations and the like were carried out.

In 1971 bed occupancy became very low and a suggestion was put forward regarding G.P. beds.  This was accepted and with effect from December 1^st, 1971 four beds were occupied under the medical control of the local General Practitioners.  This number then increased to six and finally to ten on October 24^th 1975.

In 1975 the local General Practitioners were asked to contribute to suggestions in regard to some of their difficulties, the result being that a Psychogeriatric Day Hospital was built and named, at my suggestion, Rushden House Day Hospital, thereby bringing back at least one reference to the central building Rushden House, whose name had been lost in the former renaming of the Hospital in the 1960s.  The first patients were admitted for day care on November 3^rd, 1975.  The medical management was entirely provided by the General Practitioners.

On May 8^th, 1979 Crane Ward was closed and the female chest patients were transferred or readmitted to the General Hospital as part of a deal to satisfy Dr. Shahid’s appointment promise of chest beds in Kettering.  The ward remained closed until June 7^th, 1979 when the Dermatological Unit moved from the House to Crane Ward after a small conversion.

In the House the area originally vacated by the Dermatological Unit was redesigned on a joint funded venture to Social Services and under the name of Cordwainers Day Centre received the first patients on November 10^th 1980.

On September 5^th, 1981 the Dermatological Unit was moved from Crane Ward to Lilford Ward at the General Hospital.

Sharwood Ward		After Mr. Frank Joseph Sharwood, member of Northants County Council, 19291946.
Hensman Ward		After Mrs. Elsie Hensman who reached her one hundredth birthday on December 2nd, 1983.  She has unstintingly carried out voluntary work at the Hospital since the early 1930s and has only in recent years lessened her activities.
Crane Ward		After Dr. James Henry Crane.  First Medical Superintendent of Rushden House Sanatorium, 19211940.
Colton Ward		After Arthur Colton.  Chairman of the Rushden Hospital House Committee for many years.  Had himself been a patient suffering from Tuberculosis.

Having seen the change in usage over the years, Rushden Hospital now forms an important facet of the Kettering District Psychiatric Division and will eventually consist of:

STAFFING

This presented certain difficulties because of the need to satisfy the needs of staff not only here at Rushden but also those from Northampton who might have faced redundancy because of the transfer of E.M.I. patients from that District to the Kettering District.  The proposal is that sixty E.M.I. patients will eventually transfer, some to Rushden and the rest elsewhere.

Statistics 1983

RUSHDEN HOUSE DAY HOSPITAL

Total Monthly Attendance

Average number of individual patients per month		90.33
Total number of working days		250
Total number of patient days		4,803
Average daily attendance 1983		19.21

SHARWOOD WARD

From January until September no chest patients were admitted therefore G.P. bed occupancy was greater because of bed availability.

Admissions

G.P. Male		86
G.P. Female		101
Bed occupancy average (9/12)		106.7%

For the last three months of the year the figures relate to E.M.I. patients only on an assumed sixteen beds.

Admissions

E.M.I. Male		11
E.M.I. Female		52
Bed occupancy average (3/12)		85%

HENSMAN WARD

CRANE WARD

COLTON WARD

Total Admissions		330
Male		178
Female		152

of these figures 103 patients were admitted for Day Care.

Bed Occupancy Average (12/12)

72.25%

OUT-PATIENT CLINICS

Chest

Contact

Mental Handicap

E.M.I.

CHEST

Number of clinics		45
Number of patients seen		607
Number of X-rays		228

The X-ray department closed on September 1st.

CONTACT CLINICS (Dr. Modi)

MENTAL HANDICAP (Dr. Martin)

E.M.I. CLINICS (Dr. Evans)

Total sessions		38
Total new patients		68
Total old patients		164
Total number of patients attendng 1983		240
Total number of patients per session (average)		6.31

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