Where it all began: The Wrightington Hip Centre

[Josephine]

This is principally for Pat but thought you all would like to see it as well. This is the original, ground breaking Hip Centre that was started up around 1960. The story goes that Charnley was so impassioned about his new hip procedure and all the special requirements, tat the hospital management gave him an old, run-down hospital to go work in, simply to get him out of their hair (he could be very demanding and stubborn, could the Prof!)

Well, he took the hospital and with practically no budget, forged it into the premier hip unit in the world! And thus it remains to this day! His legacy lives on.

The photos were taken in 1981 so you can see that not much changed over the years!

This is one of the wards of the Nightingale style

This is one of the anaesthetic rooms where the first level prep was done. This involved two nurses and took around 20-30 mins. The prep nurse (preparing her trolley) would wash and scrub the entire lower portion of the patient from waist to foot - all the leg and the foot with providone iodine. Then the patient would have the first layer of sterile drapes applied before being wheeled into the OR.

Here, Professor Wroblewski (Charnely's succesor) is talking to the group of surgeons who were on the visit with me.

 

[Josephine]

Re: Where it all started: The Wrightington Hip Centre

Here the Prof is scrubbing up and you can see he is already wearing his helmet which is a personal air-conditioning unit complete with mike!

Now the nurse is assisting the Prof to get into his cover-all Charnley gown!

He then helps her to drape the cubicle and prepare the instruments as once the patient has been brought in, no-one can get out!

 

[Josephine]

Re: Where it all started: The Wrightington Hip Centre

Preparing the acetabulum

Here you can see the entire cubicle more commonly known as a Charnley tent. The opening this end where the patient has been wheeled in is closed off with several layers of sterile drapes and all that is left outside is the patient's head and shoulders! The anaesthetists, as you can see, is on alert at the table top probably doing the Time's crossword! (okay - I'm kidding!

) The tent has special, super strong air conditioning blowing down into it, filtered to the point where it is almost sterile. All the body output from the team like skins scales and perspiration, is blown out of the bottom of the gown by the personal air supply.

This is how Charnley achieved his phenomenal infection rate of 0.01% which had NEVER been done before and has rarely been equalled since.

 

[JudyS]

Thanks Jo that was awesome
Judy

 

[westexas]

JO,

WOW.......Sad to say how bad the infection rate is here in the US. I think that is one thing that is completely pathetic. Our big hospital here is always fighting STAPH....I am just so lucky that my OS puts sterile as his #1 priority when operating....
Pics are great.....Patty

 

[Skeet]

THanks, Jo. I love when you share all this cool stuff. You are a walking historian.

 

[Nursepair]

Wow Jo, you have some excellent photos!! I remember the Charnley Tent. I was luck enough not to have to gown up and work in it. I am a bit clausterphobic, couldn't have stood it. It's a shame they don't worry about giving patients infection so much nowadays eh?

 

[patfinch]

Josephine....
you have excelled yourself....I was actually working at Wrightington just after these pics were taken..1982-1988 but the place is just how I remember.
When I was in 2 months ago, the wards have moved around a bit but are very much the same.....seems like only the beds have been updated....
what a trip back down memory lane, THANKS JO......
Ps if I get the job there I may be able to get some updated pics....lol

love and hugs...Pat xx

 

[Linda2]

Those wards are surely different from the "only private rooms" at the hospital where I had my LTKR!

 

[1jt@atime]

I'm thinking along the same lines as Linda. Jo, is it the norm in England to put everyone in a room like the pics above or do you also have the private rooms that we Americans are spoiled with? I always thought the big rooms with the hospital beds all lined up were history..... Karen

 

[patfinch]

The wards at Wrightington are ALL STILL like this, with possibly 2 or 3 side rooms that are used for very poorly,patients, or perhaps a patient who has an infection.
In our general hospitals they have now adopted the " bay " option, where the ward is split into bays of usually 6-8 beds. On one ward, there may be a few bays of men and a few bays of women, thus termed as a mixed sex ward....
However at Wrightington, as they still use the Nightingale wards, they are all one sex only.......
The hospital was an old TB hospital, so most of the wards have verandahs, which are now closed in but still overlook the beautiful countryside.......it is set in the middle of nowhere !!!!!! On a nice day, the patients can sit outside and enjoy the view.
In the TB days...the verandahs were actually open to the fresh air, and patients would stay outside on their beds, to get the beneficial country air, and help reduce infection...
OMG I'm getting ALL nostalgic now, hope I get my job there..
Love and Hugs Pat xx

 

[1jt@atime]

Thanks Pat! Very informative addition to Jo's pictures! I think most Americans would have an absolute fit if they had to stay on a ward like this. I can only imagine it's very difficult to get any rest. It's hard enough when you are in a private room with nurses, therapists, cleaning people, food delivery and whoever else stopping by!

It must be entirely different working somewhere like this as a member of the staff. I would think it would be much easier this way. Good luck getting that job! Karen

 

[Nursepair]

Hi Karen, In the old days when all the wards were like this, it seemed much quieter. I think because the ward sister and Matron were strict with the nurses. No private talk amongst each other etc. Only two visitors at a time, no children usually, and visitors and patients all spoke with a whisper.

I found in my semi private room the large families of the other patient very noisy and tiring. Besides that if a nurse needed to contact another colleague they blared for them over the intercom from 6 am until 10pm, very annoying when you try to get a little shut eye. Nurses seem lazier nowadays in that respect.

It was actually easier to keep a good eye on your patients in a long ward and to keep your eye on the staff too. Everything seemed calmer back then or maybe it was my imagination? What do you think Jo?

 

[Doug]

I think us Americans stand guilty when it comes to self centered behavior...times have changed and a ward would be like that would be chaotic now. When my mother had her TKR, she had a semi private room. The other lady who had bi lats got cell phone calls till 2am...5 or 6 family members showed up at once, and the nurses were hard to find.
When I had my TKR I had to get my wife to bring earplugs from home so I could sleep. It sounded like they had parties every night at the nurses station...They were attentive but loud...The night shift nurse assigned to me was great. She had 35 years experience and really was like the kind of nurse I suspect Josephine is...I even trusted her with my catheter!!!

 

[Nursepair]

The night shift nurse assigned to me was great. She had 35 years experience and really was like the kind of nurse I suspect Josephine is...I even trusted her with my catheter!!!

She must have been good then ha ha!! I know Jo is that good kind of nurse!!

 

[patfinch]

Karen, thanks for that, the closing date for apps is tomorrow so I'm keeping everything crossed ........
I was back at Wrightington for physio today, and can't get over the peace and quiet of the place.....
In comparison..the prison where I currently am working ( when I get off sick leave ) is literally a mad house.......
I used to enjoy the madness of the place, but just turning 50 has made me realise that it's time to slow down a bit and let the youngsters deal with the inmates....all being well..
Love and hugs Pat xx

 

[Josephine]

Oh Pat - keeping everything crossed for you!

As for noise in the wards, we had nap periods on non-visiting afternoons when sister would shoo all the staff out into the sluice to clean bedpans! and such so the patients could have an hour's nap. Silence was mandatory! Even matron and the doctors were barred! When the night staff came on and the lights were turned off, NOTHING was allowed - no conversations, everyone in bed, we only had a hospital radio station on the headphones and that ceased to broadcast around 6pm. No lights for reading, nothing! And that would be about 9pm!

When a senior student, I was allowed the keys of the drug cupboard and could dish out simple sleeping pills and paracetomol (tylenol) off my own bat, so I'd keep the bottle in my pocket and dish them out as I went round settling everybody in, tidying beds and pillows and essentially 'tucking them in'! Was my delight to stand in that ward around midnight and listen to the gentle snores of all the patients (was a men's surgical ward) and know in an instant if one stirred or needed attention. No-one laid awake, much less in pain, on my watch! Not one!

That's called job satisfaction!

 

[Laurie]

Wow, I wish I had peace and quiet at night during my stay at a "well regarded" subacute hospital here. The worst part was when my first roommate, who was in a lot of pain from back surgery, pushed the button for the nurse at about 3 a.m. and it took over 25 minutes maybe longer for a response. At one point, the 4th night of my THR, I got so mad that I took off my booties, grabbed my walker and went down to the nurses station to tell someone to get off their behinds to help her (she only wanted help changing position in bed).

On another early morn (5 a.m.) of my 5 day stay I was pricked unnecessarily for a sugar check cause the aide thought I was the previous patient (I have never been diabetic!!!) Needless to say, the hospital received quite the letter from me afterwards. I wanted to leave AMA but knew that my insurance co would give me a hard time. Fortunately, the day nurses and PT was excellent but was quite the adventure.

Laurie

 

[patfinch]

omg Laurie, looks like us brits had the edge....only in the "OLD DAYS" of course,
The wards are soo understaffed these days and sorry to say this but newly qualified staff do not seem to have the dedication of old......there is too much paperwork and not enough patient time in my opinion....
Jo you bring back so many memories, bring back the nightingale wards and the respect ,care and dignity that seems so sadly to be lacking these days
Love and hugs Pat xx

 

[Laurie]

Pat and all the wonderful medical staff out there,

I didn't even go into other "challenges" during my 5 day stay at subacute place--know they were having tough time due to Labor Day long weekend, but still.... Perhaps I was expecting too much from the staff....and I would have been more understanding if it didn't appear that the o/n staff were relaxing at the nurses station.

Fortunately, my stay at the hospital where I had my surgery was much better--and I really needed the attention the first couple of days as I was dealing with the nausea of pain meds and faintness that resulted from it all (went away quickly after I went off the narcotics). Amazing how the kindness of the nurses, especially the ones who took care of my basic needs (washing up in bed in the morning, saltines, helping me in bathroom when I was feeling faint) was the most wonderful part.

Now that I am writing this, I think I will write a "good letter" to this local hospital as I was truly given great care, including my current PT.

Laurie