Carstairs Hospital ( Scotland / Northern Ireland's 'special state hospital')

[rogartdog]

To return to that knotty issue of a hospital badge for Carstairs hospital. ( why does it intrigue me so much?!)

Anyway, at the risk of boring people, I have had it confirmed that it seems that Carstairs purely undertook Enrolled Nurse training, and any RMN nurses were trained elsewhere.

I still have some unanswered questions. Did the E/N's receive the green bordered badge that was given to English trained 'Special Hospitals' nurses.

Also, does anyone know as to whether there was a particular hospital where the Carstairs potential RMN nurses did their training? 

I would be most interested in any information!  (The whole situation seems  rather odd in my opinion!)

Thanking you

[jock57]

hello,
I did enrolled nurse training in Law Hospital in Carluke, we went for our psychiatriac placements for eight weeks in Hartwood hospital in shotts. this is possible where the rmns at Carstairs trained. this was in the late seventies.
do not know much about the badges. I have a Law badge, Carstairs nurses may have done general placement there also for there general placements.
hope this is useful

jock 57 :)

[rogartdog]

Thank you for that information Jock.
Yes, I suspect you may well be right that Carstairs RMN's did most of their training at Hartwood - I would guess that that was possibly the nearest Psychiatric hospital to Carstairs. Strange though, that the E/N's remained at Carstairs. It still intrigues me as to why this was!

On a slightly different note, I will always remember an RMN I worked with at the Royal Ed - just one of these nurses who always remain in your working memory ( hope you know what I mean!) who had trained at Hartwood, and when I think of it, I know had worked at Carstairs. He was fantastic. Even now, an inspiration.

Out of interest, having not been in the vicinity of Hartwood in the last few years, I am unsure as to its current situation?

[jock57]

I think most of it has closed now, like the most of the big asylums, mental health unit in Wishaw general hospital. I will try to find out more for you.  probably services dotted around Lanarkshire. :)