75 stories for 75 years
The dusty, leather-bound volume could be a Book of Spells straight from Harry Potter. In fact, the gold-embossed, red ledger is the Casualty Register for the Victoria Hospital, Blackpool. It was unearthed by the hospital library and the first of 8,000 entries was made on 5 July 1928, 20 years to the day before the… Continue Reading Casualty register opens book on 1928 hospital patients
Louise Dowell is proof that anything’s possible in nursing as we celebrated International Nurses Day and she looks forward to retirement next month. The international celebration marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale who founded what we consider today to be modern nursing while a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, nearly 100… Continue Reading Nursing was world of opportunity for Louise
These were some of the first nurses to serve in the NHS, according to Zena Bradshaw who is a Cardiology Research Nurse at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals. She knows that because this lovely post-war photograph taken at Fleetwood Hospital is where Zena’s grandmother, Babara Bradshaw, worked. She’s far right on the middle row in glasses. Babara… Continue Reading Wartime Fleetwood nurse started family NHS tradition
Visiting relatives in hospital as a child was the spark that led Andrea Goodey to choose a career in nursing. “I visited Blackpool hospital a lot when I was young,” she said. “The nurses were so kind and used to show me things – and I thought this is what I want to do.” Andrea… Continue Reading ‘If it wasn’t for the NHS I wouldn’t be here’ says nurse
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Chief Executive Trish Armstrong-Child has spoken of her pride in the NHS in the countdown to the 75th birthday of the service on Wednesday 5 July. BTH is marking the anniversary by sharing the stories from patients, colleagues and former staff, moments from our history and pictures from the archives over… Continue Reading Joining NHS as nurse ‘best thing that ever happened to me’, says hospital chief
A nurse who helped a colleague in crisis was the winner of the People’s Health Hero Award at Blackpool hospitals’ annual Celebrating Success staff awards. Advanced Clinical Practitioner Lucy Cardwell was on duty in the Emergency Department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital when a colleague and new mum arrived with her poorly baby. In her nomination,… Continue Reading A&E nurse honoured with People’s Health Hero Award
With all eyes on the Coronation of King Charles III today, we’re looking back at the royal opening of Blackpool Victoria Hospital in October 1937. The hospital had opened the previous year after moving from Whitegate Drive at a cost of £165,000 to build and equip. Work had started in November 1932 and patients from… Continue Reading Golden key unlocked royal opening of Blackpool Vic
Thousands of people have supported our hospital over the years raising money for our charity Blue Skies Hospitals Fund. Sometimes this is for fun and for others it can be in loving memory of someone they have lost. As part of NHS75, we caught up with Becky Turner who to date has raised more than… Continue Reading Sister’s fundraising transforms ward in memory of patient Tom
King Charles is nearly as old as the NHS being born in the November following the service’s founding in 1948 – and two colleagues at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals will remember his Coronation this weekend for very different reasons. Sonia Khan, lead pharmacist in the Trust’s Community Frailty Service is a delighted and very surprised winner… Continue Reading Celebrating the Coronation on The Mall and with memories
Hospital operations would grind to halt without the many skills of Carol Hodkinson and her colleagues in the Sterile Services team. She has spent 37 years at Blackpool Victoria Hospital making sure every reusable surgical instrument and device is washed, disinfected, sorted, checked, boxed, wrapped and steam cleaned before being sent for use again. “I… Continue Reading Proud to serve patients from behind the scenes for 37 years