Disability Livelihood and Employment (3): The one with Tyne Lodge, the National Coal Board Medical Service, and Dingleton Hospital

In this week's blog, we're exploring three distinct records reflecting on disability livelihood and employment to say goodbye to this series.

In 1955, Tyne Lodge, the first outpatient unit at Astley Ainslie Hospital, opened. New inpatient facilities included a model coal face provided by the National Coal Board to help with the rehabilitation of miners, and a model of the back of a bus so people could practice getting on and off.

Tyne Lodge General Register of Patients, 1955-1973 (LHB35/4/3/1). Sample page showing the range of disabilities and health conditions of the Outpatient Unit.

The Tyne Lodge General Register of Patients records individual patients' attendances at the Rehabilitation Unit. Given the records cover the 1955-1973 period, they are classed as confidential and the images on this blog post have been redacted due to General Data Protection Regulation. Each line references the medical diagnosis of individual patients, while their disposal shows the patient's employment status after being discharged. It is worth highlighting two very different diagnoses that give a good sense of the variety of conditions treated at the Tyne Lodge Outpatient Unit.

 

DIAGNOSIS                                     DISPOSAL

Amputation rb. Leg mid thigh.          Light work. Second admission. Had a prior 20 

                                                         attendances between [dates redacted due to GDPR]

Hemipligia                                        To light job with some employers.

 

Hemiplegia is a very recurrent diagnosis in this volume. In its more severe form, it refers to the complete paralysis of one entire side of the body. It can result from a range of medical causes such as brain damage, trauma (injuries received through a fall, car accident, etc.), stroke, cerebral palsy, brain tumour, or diseases of the nervous system or brain. While the sample page above may suggest the unit focused on physical disability solely, mental health conditions are also reflected in its pages. The following image shows an instance where psychoneurosis was mentioned as a patient’s diagnosis. The record states that the ‘treatment has failed from a physical point of view but she is now attending Dr Macrae, psychiatrist, regularly for treatment’.

Tyne Lodge General Register of Patients, 1955-1973 (LHB35/4/3/1). The Unit did not exclusively focus on physical disabilities or health conditions. This page shows an example of a patient diagnosed with psychoneurosis.

The collection of National Coal Board Medical Cards (GD46) is a valuable source that provides insight into the numerous cases in which miners got injured or became physically disabled between the 1940s and 1980s. Amongst the most recurrent injuries and disabilities, there are mentions of slipped discs, punctured thumbs and big toes, strained backs and knees, bruises on feet/hands/arms, pustules on the knees, cut forearms/fingers, abrasion to fingers/legs/shoulder blade, jerked back/lumbar area, chest pains, and burst fingers. The medical card below shows the medical history of a patient who started to work as a miner at the age of 16 during the 1950s. They were diagnosed with 60+ injuries over a span of 20 years. Their medical history reflects the challenges associated with carrying out their work for decades in order to sustain themselves and provide for their family.

National Coal Board Medical Cards, 1940s-1980s (GD46)

The Dingleton Hospital magazine, ‘Outlook’, also reflects on issues around disability employment. This publication is an example of collaborative efforts between patients and staff that was described as ‘a worthwhile therapeutic venture’ by one of its readers. Its first issue was published in September 1963 and LHSA holds copies spanning the period from its inception until 1986. The first editorial column set the hopes and objectives for the magazine in the context of several changes taking place in the hospital at the time, both physical and in the approach to patient care. The editor wrote that, ‘It is with the idea of enlarging this brighter, and pleasanter community aspect of Dingleton that this magazine has been designed….We do not intend to fill this magazine with stuffy and high-brow technicalities, or to bore the readers with long unlimited surveys on medical history, but to fill its pages with good honest humour and humanity.’

Dingleton Hospital Magazine, "Outlook", December 1963 (GD30/15/1). The image shows an article titled 'Outside employment of patients' written by J. Smith.

Dingleton Hospital Magazine, "Outlook", August 1969 (GD30/15/1). The image shows an article titled 'Something About My Army Life' written by William Whitehead.

The December 1963 issue showcases the patient rehabilitation service delivered by the hospital. The author discusses the benefits of the professional scheme the hospital ran in partnership with Currie & Mills Ltd. Patients joining the scheme were exposed to a new environment and ideas while readjusting to a regular working pattern. The article points out that patients settled down quickly into the working routine with the scheme showing positive results for all parties involved.

Likewise, the August 1969 issue reminisces the challenges faced by WW2 soldiers through William Whitehead’s account. A war veteran at the time of publication, he discusses his partial deafness as a result of being shocked by an explosion in Algeria. Interestingly, Mr Whitehead continued to serve the army in the years to come by assisting with light duties in the cookhouse across different countries such as Italy and Austria.