Jim Jones clearly wants a new thread to chat about times gone by. I'm not sure I want to be called middle-aged at 35?
However it may provide some useful help to fetch us into the new century with lots of reality orientation Do people still do that?
I'll kick of with my first death as a new staff Nurse.
It was my first night shift on a run of 8. At handover I was told of a new patient who had COAD (Now COPD keep changing the names) Pt was in bed on Oxygen.
After hand-over as has always been my routine I went around counted the patients and introduced myself to any new patients. This very elderly lady was in bed, introduced myself, no response, being elderly said it louder, still nothing. Meanwhile rest of patients singing 'Why are we waiting' all wanting evening medication. Within a few minutes I had worked out she was as dead as a stone and had been so for a good while in my opinion.
Anyway I pulled the curtains around the bed, phoned charge Nurse, and Doctor, dished out pills to rest of the ward and feigned some normality.
I spoke to Doctor on phone who spoke quite poor English. I told him the patient was dead and needed him to come and examine the patient. Doctor asked me what was wrong with the patient, I gave him all the medical history, then he asked what her clinical observations were?. I said I can give you the ones from admission, he agreed they would do. At this time Charge Nurse was on ward listening to the conversation, whispering tell Doctor She is dead!.
Doctor asked so why do you want me to see the patient, I blurt out 'Because she's dead!!!!!)
When he came he was so apologetic and really sweet but just had not understood what I had said, maybe my accent.
Doctor explained it was his first night on call in this health authority. I asked him where he normally worked, the reply Egypt!

I don't always have to be taken literally! Nevertheless what about a look back on how things have changed in the drug treatment field. I can remember 3 month or longer IP treatment, with daily psychotherapy groups for alcohol problems and discharge on Heminevrin.

An entire ward for opiate detox using that new fangled methadone stuff. That ward was looked on with deep suspicion as it contained so many apparently healthy young people who could hold conversations. From it grew the likes of the first UK Phoenix house.

How 'bout setting up needle exchanges which the police thought would be a really handy way of them getting to meet people they had been looking for for a while?

Remember a service staffed exclusively by psychiatrists, RMNs and social workers? I could go on..........

Antabuse Aversion therapy for drinkers - where you got to sit in a room and drink Newcastle Brown Ale (or whatever was the poor unfortunates tipple)on the NHS, while watching someone becoming progressively sicker and 'reinforcing' the negative aspects of drinking by encouraging them to have some more!! Ahhh - the old days.

Anyone remember the somlec machines ?

Simon, was that the thing that Meg Patterson was using at her clinic in Hayward Heath???? I visited there a couple of times - a posh pile with swimming pool and private rooms and staff. Beats the hell out of the admission ward at our local psychiatric hospital!!!

I remember it as a machine that made a noise which could be made faster or slower dependent on the patients condition. It sounded like boooinngggggggggg.
I never saw it used but found it in a cupboard as a student and had to have a play with it.
I also remember coloured baths, anyone heard of them ?

I've used blue and pink Matey with the kids - is that what you mean?

ps - funding for my course has fallen through - maybe next year

No there were different coloured baths for different types of mental illness, it was all the rage in Barnsley.
Bill,
not sure why your funding has fallen through is it not still centrally funded ? I know it was due to change.

Simon,

I'm from Sheffield originally - trained at Middlewood - never heard of any such thing as 'Coloured Baths' - obviously you were more enlightened and esoteric up North.

Re the course - I work for a charity so not directly for NHS. All the SHA funded places were taken so we were looking to get me in as a self funder from PTB - but we are strapped like most places are. Maybe next year.

Bill,
Hope you get a place.

anyone had to hide in the sluice when consultant did the ward round ?