ninety years of service - University Hospital Southampton NHS ...

Conclusion.I said in the beginning that these recollections would inevitably be somewhat hazy, but one looks back on those yearsspent at the Children’s Hospital (however ramshackle it might have appeared to the architectural eye, and howeverlimited it’s scope), a time of excellent rapport between members of staff, and with it a sense of achievement. In the childpsychiatric field a lot was owed to the foresight and dynamism of Sir John Revans whom one found easily accessible andopen to suggestions, ready to try to plan anything that led to the greater well-being of patients, Did he appreciate howeverthat “Small could be beautiful” in the sense that some of the close liaison between members of the staff would be lost in alarger hospital?CHILD PSYCHIATRY AND THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL 1965-1975 by Dr LeslieBartletDr Mary Copes retired in 1965 and her place was taken by Dr Leslie Bartlet. He was joined by Dr Brian Crossley in 1969,Both held parallel child guidance appointments and as a consequence there were few “boundary” problems betweenhospital and community. This resulted in fully integrated services whichon the national scene, were quite rare then, butstandard now,As referrals increased, the need to provide treatment as well as diagnostic services built up. When temporary out—patientaccommodation was erected at the back of the main hospital more rooms and space was allotted to the child psychiatristsSlowly the elements of a child psychiatric team came together. A psychiatric social worker from Southampton ChildGuidance clinic was seconded on a sessional basis to help, but the arrangement did not work very well and Miss JeanneChristie was appointed as Paediatric Social Worker in 1969. She agreed to work with the child psychiatrists as well as thepaediatricians and surgeons. A first rate system of teamwork developed. The team was further strengthened whets a parttimeclinical psychologist. Mr Christopher Johnson was appointed. Besides working in the team, Mr Johnson developedan assessment, advisory, and treatment service of his own and he quietly established links with the Local EducationAuthority and the local educational psychologists (a task which, at one stage, was by no means easy). Finally, in 1970, anoccupational therapist was appointed, thus rounding off the team.The late sixties were marked by a growing interest in the needs of children with chronic illness and handicap. When DrWilliamson set up a multi-disciplinary assessment service psychiatric staff played a part in this from the start. The serviceturned out to be a gateway to new areas of work; in particular mental handicap and the emotional disturbances affectingfamilies with handicapped children. The enrichment of the staff with psycho-social skills knitted in well with DrWilliamson’s imaginative use of the facilities at Bursledon Hospital where the need for beds for children with chronicphysical illness was falling off. He and his fellow paediatricians, Dr Tom Hughes-Davies and Dr John Greaves, began to“share” cases with the two child psychiatrists. Bursledon came to play an important role in the unravelling of complexproblems that often presented with psychosomatic symptomatology - Bursledon Hospital School under the headship ofMrs Brenda Marshall became involved. From that point on it became possible to observe and treat children from medical,social, family, emotional, behavioural and educational standpoints at the same time. Children were customarily admittedfor one to four weeks and parents were encouraged to visit daily. In the early Seventies this system, hinging on short-termadmissions, was unfashionable; indeed faintly heretical. Bowlby’s views held sway and hospitals were seen asemotionally dangerous institutions. Great care was taken to maintain close family contacts during admissions. When preschoolchildren were admitted their mothers usually came in as well. Older children had their parents visiting (or phoningregularly). No emotional damage resulted and the positive consequences were often significant. Particularly good resultswere obtained with such conditions as enuresis, encopresis, non-specific abdominal pains and headaches, hystericaldysfunctions. sleep disorders and behavioural disorders associated with diabetes, epilepsy and asthma.This way of working made great demands on nursing staff. Considerable reorientation was required. Nurses wereexpected to retain their traditional paediatric skills and at the same time become much more flexible, dynamically awareand emotionally involved. In the course of time “Bursledon” became an important element in the child health resources ofthe district. Although Bursledon Hospital was closed in 1966, the working practices developed there live on. BursiedonHouse on the General Hospital site is it’s worthy and valued successor.MEMORIESMention of the old Children’s Hospital to those with past connections with the place, whether they were patients, parentsor members of staff, always brings back old memories, mostly happy ones. These help to add flesh to the bare bones of amore factual historical record. Space permits only a fraction of these being recorded here.Ts & As in 1913.Mrs Brenda Drew recalls:- “It must have been in late 1912 or early 1913 that my sister (4 years my senior) and I had ourtonsils and, I think, adenoids removed. We had been well prepared; we would not feel anything, in fact our next-door