Doctors and Nursing
Medical Services in Dunston
| Timaru House | Health Centre (built 1970) | Glenpark(built 1905 |
| Drs. Foster | Drs. Fairbairn ret'd 1975 | Drs. Dougal |
| Summerville | Brown ret'd 1976 | Dougal (jnr) |
| Fairbairn | Dale ret'd 1961 | |
| Brown | 1961 Aitchison ret'd 1980 | |
| 1963 Cross re'td 1990 | ||
| 1974 Julia Gibson ret'd 1996 | ||
| 1976 Holmes | ||
| 1980 Prudhoe |
Timaru House Surgery
Timaru House Surgery
This was a small terraced cottage, from where the Doctors lived and worked. It was diagonally opposite the Dun Cow and was demolished in the early 1970s(?). Timaru is a town in New Zealand's south island.
When Dr.Foster worked from Timaru House patients waited in the backyard and then moved into the back kitchen to sit on wooden benches.
In Dr. Summerville's time patients came in through the front door and waited in the hall until it was their turn, sometimes for as long as two hours. At a certain time the door would be locked and no more patients would be admitted for that surgery. A large grandfather clock ticked away as everybody sat in silence. The doctor would examine and treat patients, stitching, bandaging and mixing medicines. There was no nurse. After being seen patients would leave through the back door into the yard and out into the back lane.
In about the early 1940s a young Dr Fairbairn took over the Practice. He introduced an appointment system (new at that time). When he, his young wife and two sons later moved to Holmside Avenue he had a dispensary built in the back yard and employed a dispenser. The treatment room became a waiting room. His house in Holmside Avenue had a treatment room at the front, just off the hall, which Dr Brown used as an anti-natal clinic.
Dr. Brown who became Dr. Fairbairn's partner lived at the bottom of Carr's Bank (now Dunston Bank)
The Health Centre
A new Health Centre was built in 1970, on the field at the Four Lane Ends, and the Timaru Practice moved there. When Dr. Fairbairn retired in 1975 Dr. Brown joined with Dr. Cross and Dr Aitchison. The two practices now use the Medical Centre and Glenpark Surgery on Ravensworth Road. In 1976 Dr. Holmes joined the Practice, followed by Dr. Prudhoe in 1980.
Other Practices
At one time in the 1930's to 1950's there were four doctors in Dunston, all working in their own practices:-
Dr. Summerville
Dr. Wilther or Wilthew
Dr. Dougall and
Dr. Hanson
Dr. Wilther had his Practice in a terraced house on Ravensworth Road. When he retired in about the 1940's Dr. Kelly took over. After the War Dr J M Finnerty joined the Practice followed by a lady doctor, Brannigan and later by Dr. Pannu.
The surgery moved to the top of Ravensworth Road when Dr. Ranu joined.
1994 - 1999 Drs. Pannu, Ranu, Rajan
2000 Drs. Pannu, Ranu and Roberts.
This practice now has surgeries at Bensham and Lobley Hill.
Dr Dougall started up on his own at Glenpark, which he built in 1905. He married two years later. After the three children were born he bought the house at right angles to Glenpark in the road running up the left side and knocked through, so the family could live there, away from the hustle and bustle of the very busy practice. The original nursery was immediately above the surgery and they found it impossible to keep the children quiet during surgery hours.
Later he took on a partner, Dr Alec Hanson, who became a great family friend. Dr Dougall died in 1935. His wife then ran the practise with locums until his son qualified in about 1936 or 37, when he took over at Glenpark. Dr Alec Hanson was still there too at the outbreak of war and held the fort until the end of the war when Dr Dougall’s son was released from the services and returned to Glenpark. He then sold the practice (to his mother’s great horror – she felt quite betrayed) and he moved to Bath.
In 1914 Dr Dougall presented a cup to the Scouts to be competed for annually. It was for Ambulance work. In 1978 the competition was changed to Emergencies. The cup was still being competed for in 1988.
Dr. Hanson a very flamboyant man always wore a flower in his buttonhole. He practised from his house in The Crescent. He was succeeded by Dr Thompson, followed by Dr Simpson. The Practice moved then to Chirton House, 1 Spoor Street.
At one time all the doctors' wives helped in the Practice. Before the National Health Service was introduced in 19? a way of paying for treatment, at that time, was a payment of a weekly amount of a few pence. This was collected each week and was called "The Panel", a type of insurance.
Nurses
There were two nurses in Dunston, Nurse Simpson and Nurse Porteous who was also a midwife. She attended mothers before, during and after birth. Few people went to hospital to have their babies.
She was very brisk and efficient, dressed in her starched white apron. Both nurses ran a baby clinic, which was opposite the Dun Cow, in a large building below the library. They weighed babies, gave advice to mothers and handed out powered milk and jars of cod liver oil and malt. In the clinic there was also a room where children could have sun-ray treatment.
The nurses helped the doctors' visits to schools where children were physically examined, had a simple eye test and heads checked for lice. Nurse Porteous also took guides through their First aid and Home Craft badges. Before nurses were directly employed by GPs Sisters Pearson and Brown were the district midwives. Later Sisters Annabelle (Moon) and Berelay were district nurses aligned to Glenpark.
Advertisement for a pharmacy
in Dunston (around 1911).
History of The Whickham Practice.
.
About to set out on the rounds. Doctor Andrew Smith standing on the steps of Rose Villa with Mr Turbittt (subsequently killed in the Boer War) at the head of his mount.
"The practice was founded in the late 1870s by the first Dr. Andrew Smith in Whickham where he bought a small, run down practice at Hillcrest, a stone terrace house on Fellside Road. He paid 50 pounds down and another 50 pounds in a years time for it. He soon began to attract patients and before long the house was too small to accommodate both patients and the beginnings of what was to become his own large family. In August 1883 he bought Rose Villa, a large house in the middle of the village.
As the years went by the practice expanded steadily and Dr. Andrew employed assistants to help with the increasing workload, making it clear that there was little hope of a future partnership because three of his four sons were expected to join him when they qualified at Newcastle Medical School.
When the Great War of 1914-1918 broke out there was a call for doctors for the front and Andrews three medical sons, Andy, Edward and Wilkie went into the R.A.M.C. leaving their father to cope with a very large practice without even an assistant to help him. He took it in his stride, having bought a motor car in which his eldest daughter Irene (who died in Whickham Cottage Hospital in her 99th year) drove him round on his visits to the widespread practice. At the end of the war his sons returned from their respective theatres of war, each one took over part of the practice.
In 1924 old Andrew died at Rose Villa in his armchair with a newspaper on his lap after a heavy day in the practice. His death occurred after a conversion of the old Rectory to a Cottage Hospital in which he and the Rector had played a major part.
Waiting for father. The doctor's son, Henry, holding his horse in readiness for departure on the daily visiting round. Henry, who is the father of Doctor David Smith, later emigrated to South Africa.
Wilkie came down from Burnopfield and took over the Rose Villa part of the practice. This was a most appropriate move in that he had been appointed G.P. surgeon to the hospital and dealt with many colliery accidents as well as operating a Tonsil and Adenoidectomy session every week with Andrew as anaesthetist. Wilkie had initially intended to be a surgeon. He was on the lower rungs of the consultant ladder at the RVI at the outset of the war in which he become a military surgeon and was awarded a Croix de Guerre by the Belgians for his surgical work for wounded soldiers.
The practice continued uneventfully throughout the 2nd World War with the three brothers meeting every week at the Cottage Hospital after the operating session until 1950 when Wilkie died as peacefully as his father, sitting in a chair at the bedside of a farmer at Hollinside Farm who had influenza.
Andrew Smith, having returned from active service in the Far East, had joined the practice in 1947 and now took over Wilkie's part of the practice and moved in to Rose Villa.
The practice continued to expand with the population as more and more housing estates were built around Whickham. It became obvious in the 50s that both Rose Villa and Stronsay were too small to accommodate the influx of new patients despite the addition of three more consulting rooms and a small secretary's room being built on to the West side of Rose Villa.
With considerable reluctance the partners decided to ask the health authorities to build a Heath Centre. It soon became obvious that the Heath Authority had little idea of what a good Health Centre should be like as the partners found out when they visited some of the Centres the Authority had built. Many hours were spent arguing about the sort of building the doctors wanted but in the long run it was worthwhile because it is the kind of building they wanted.
Modern Times. A family group outside the Burnopfield Surgery about 1922. The motorcar has replaced the horse; its proud owner Dr Wilkie Smith is at the left of the picture. Irene Smith is at the wheel, Josephine Smith (wife of Henry Smith, a non-medical brother of Edward, Wilkie and Andrew) on the running board, and Elsie Smith (sister of Edward, Andrew, Wilkie, Irene and Henry). The other woman pictured is may be to the right of the child may be Mabel Smith, wife of Wilkie Smith or she could be David Smith's nurse. The bonnetted babe is Dr David.
In 1969 the first cohort of vocational trainees joined their teaching practice."
Andrew Smith.
District Nursing As I Remember It 40 Years Ago.(1961)
Whickham at this time was part of Durham County. My interview for the post of District Nurse was with the Medical Officer of Health and the Health Committee.
My appointment covered Byermoor, Marley Hill and Sunniside. At that period District Nurses worked in a specific geographical area and cared for the patients of all Doctor's in that area. Nurse Hill's area was Swalwell and Whickham; Nurse Robinson was responsible for Dunston.
I was supplied with a uniform, which consisted of a navy blue dress with a starched collar, white apron and storm cap. I wore black stockings and sturdy shoes as my mode of transport was by bus or my two feet. Each nurse was responsible for the laundering of her uniform. I was very lucky that my mother was one of the breed used to possticks and starching in the old fashioned way.
There were very specific teachings regarding uniform.
1. Apron must not touch the lining of coat, therefore it was pinned up.
2. In a patient's house the coat must be removed, folded with the lining inside and placed on clean paper. These actions were to prevent contamination.
I was supplied with a nursing bag. It was made of metal with a linen lining. This had to be washed and changed every week. It contained various surgical instruments, glass syringe with needles, douche can with tubing, funnel with rubber tubing, kidney dish, bowl, dressing towel, soap and nail brush and towel for use of nurse. This was a time when disposable equipment was not in use and it was quite a performance when a douche was ordered, remembering that all equipment had to be boiled and we used the patients' pans.
At this time requests for my services was by a phone call from a Doctor but more often by a message being left at Tommy White's newsagent shop in Sunniside where I called each morning.
I won't go into detail of the nursing procedures of that day but I would like to describe how injections were prepared. Hypodermic syringe with the barrel removed and two needles were put into a saucepan {supplied by the patient} covered with cold water and boiled for five minutes. After rinsing they were boiled again replaced in the nursing bag ready to go through the same procedure when needed again. Nurse always carried a jar of cotton wool swabs soaked in surgical spirit used for sterilising the skin.
Surgical dressings was quite a complicated procedure, apart from having to boil all instruments in the patient's home, dressings were prepared by the nurse. Gauze, cotton wool swabs and pads were placed in a clean tin and baked in an oven for one hour. This tin would then be left at the patient's house. It was very rare to have white dressings they always looked slightly sunburned. Luckily this was the time of open fires and disposing of soiled material was no problem.
As I said before my method of travel was either by bus or shanks pony. I'm amazed on looking back how much walking I did, especially in snowy weather when buses weren't running, walking to Byermoor wasn't much fun. I remember when doing relief work at Swalwell, it was a Sunday and in those days buses from Swalwell to Whickham were infrequent and I was more than grateful when Charley Kidd who was our local undertaker offered me a lift in his hearse (I would like to point out there was no coffin in at that time).
Life became much easier when I passed my driving test in 1963. I bought a beautiful pale blue MINI for £500. The money for this was provided in the shape of a loan from Durham County Council, which was repaid by a certain amount being deducted from my salary over the next five years.
Later on many changes were made. Boundaries were changed. Whickham became part of Gateshead so my employer changed. There were many more changes too numerous to mention. I know I will always remember the kindnesses and friends I made in my first district.My district covered Byermoor, Marley Hill and Sunniside.
Freda Spriggs, nee Grundy
Dr. Bennett
An eminent eye surgeon who lived at Westacres in Grange Lane. He was the first surgeon to replace the retina in eyes at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. A popular man, who doffed his black trilby hat to everyone he met.
Dr Thomas Nicholson Wilthew
Doctor Thomas Nicholson Wilthew lived at Hillcrest until 1922 when he moved to Ravensworth Road, Dunston. He had a day surgery at Whickham in 1914 and another at Swalwell in 1934.