NIGHT DUTY: Part 2

One of our chores at night was to start cooking the porridge oats in a huge double saucepan ready for the patient’s breakfast and if we were too busy or forgot we were hauled to Matron’s office trained or student!  Another reason to have to go to see Matron in her office was if we broke a thermometer which was considered complete carelessness so we were fined sixpence per item. I can remember dropping the whole tray one day and breaking the contents of twelve thermometers this accident cost me six shillings which was docked from my monthly pay cheque.

Another duty sometimes for the night staff if the day staff hadn’t time was to do the mouth wash round and clean people’s false teeth for them to put in their own denture pots in their lockers. One night I was in my office writing my report when my junior nurse came to the door to ask what to do now? When I turned to look at her I saw her holding a bowl of a dozen floating false teeth so we spent the next hour trying to fit the right teeth into the right patient! Hopefully she never did that again!

My ward number five had a very large kitchen with a huge fridge behind the door and it was a very common occurrence for me to go into the kitchen up until midnight to find an ex male patient sitting out of sight with a bunch of flowers or box of chocolates for me and if I wasn’t busy a chat over a mug of coffee. I think when caring for male patients who feel far more vulnerable than ladies a nurse has to add all sorts of talents to her nursing knowledge. These include being temporary wife, mother, daughter, mother-confessor, counsellor and to develop good listening skills.

My long years working with gentlemen has in fact made me feel as comfortable in their company as with my own sex which leads me into admitting a huge sin of marrying a patient! Just the once!

Mac was an in-patient on my ward and to me just another person to be cared for therefore he received the same respect and attention as did my other twenty five patients. As he was unable to get any information from me about my private life he decided to ask one of my staff re my married status etc and when I realised what he had done he received more verbal answers from me than he anticipated!

There was a very strict rule that stated nursing staff were not allowed to go out with patients or other staff in the hospital that had more menial jobs. I am afraid I broke both rules because I went out with a hospital porter for six months until he moved to Cambridge and a year or so later I married Mac on March 4^th 1974 and changed my name from Luck to McCall.