Vale of Leven

[wilfb]

The finding is from Mary Maltman, a Scottish nurse (now retired) whom we sincerely hope will take up her story directly very soon. Replies are encouraged and will be greatly appreciated....

I was a member of the very first class which commenced in April 1958 and the first badges and certificates were awarded in 1961 The hospital was the
first postwar hospital built in Britain and was absolutely beautiful. The first matron was a cultured, artistic lady who was given carte blanche to choose
the colour schemes for the wards and departments and to select soft furnishings, furniture,crockery. The wards glowed with colour, with matching
or coordinating bed curtains and counterpanes and each ward had its own coloured crockery, distinctive for that ward so that mixups with other wards
did not occur. The design of the wards broke away completely from the old Nightingale wards, being roughly H-shaped and divided into 4-bedded, 3-bedded
and two bedded units.The then matron was also responsible for selecting the decor for all wards and departments.  The dining room had a most
wonderful view of Ben Lomond and Loch Lomond and resembled a rather posh restaurant, having waitress service and dining tables for four.  This was
changed after a period of time to cafeteria service which was probably inevitable.  The student nurses received a good grounding in medicine, surgery
gynaecology,orthopaedic and trauma and theatre work. We had to go on secondments for experience that could not be gained at the parent hospital,
but most of us enjoyed these new experiences.  The badge design consists of a circular shape in silver finding the Scottish Saltire on which is superimposed
the Lennox Rose all bounded in white. The enrolled nurse is similar but bounded in green.  Mary M

[wilfb]

Further from MaryM....

I hope to send a photograph of "The Vale" badge once I learn how to do it. I would be
delighted to join your forum and am happy for you to use my e-mail – this might be interesting to other nurses and may even elicit a response
from other Vale "girls" many of whom are now scattered around the globe. I was interested that you trained in the Manchester area – I have never
been there but have always had a great affection for Manchester because of a wonderful orthopaedic surgeon I worked with when undertaking
orthopaedic training before I went on to do general nursing. He was a gentleman who went on to become the first professor of orthopaedic surgery
at Glasgow University.  I don't think you would have known him as I understand he came to Scotland around 1945.
The first patients admitted to Vale of Leven were treated like royalty, having very comfortable  dayrooms equipped with radios and eventually t.v
They each had individual dining trays with little individual teapots and sugar and cream sets. Over the years many of these walked the plank, possibly by
patients themselves taking them home and had to be abandoned after many years. The first matron, who supposedly went to a fancy job in the
Scottish Office, was very avante-guard, and not all of her innovations were universally popular – such as her design for auxiliary nurse uniforms,
which featured sailor-collars, so that the wards at times resembled the decks of HMSPinafore. She was very motivated to getting rid of all the starch
but I  feel the nursing world was not yet ready for her.