THE
NEW RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
On the 25th November 1992, Dr.
Malcolm Elliott, recently retired consultant radiologist returned to perform the
opening ceremony for the newly extended radiology department at
Kidderminster
General
Hospital
,
Bewdley Road
.
The new patient facilities
include an additional general radiography room equipped with new equipment; a
two bed 'recovery area' for patients who have had sedation or who are having
prolonged procedures ( e.g. barium follow through); a new improved ultrasound
room and new changing cubicles, waiting areas and toilets including facilities
purpose designed for the disabled. The department now also has, for the first
time, individual consultant offices and a new reception/film sorting/secretarial
area.
These facilities will enable the
Bewdley Road
department to take on the work currently done at
Mill Street
when that closes. In the interim, there is spare physical space at Bewdley
Road, and if purchasers wish to fund extra work we are ready and willing to
oblige (proposals have been sent to all GP practices and DHA purchasers). We are
very keen to increase access to CT scanning and MRI for
Kidderminster
patients. Within the next 5 years we feel an on site CT scanner is essential
and we have identified space in the department. We need the support of
purchasers for this and your comments and ideas are invited.
Umesh Udeshi
Bob
Russell Retires
Villagers bade a fond farewell
to GP Dr. Bob Russell, who retired from his Chaddesley Corbett practice after 19
years.More than 200 residents met at Winterfold House School to say goodbye to
their village doctor.As a parting gift they have raised £2000 to pay for a
minoroperations room to be built at the village surgery.
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THE
STRETTON DYNASTY
In these times of change, it may
be reassuring to reflect on the history of Medicine in
Kidderminster
. The sharp eyed amongst you will have noticed a new arrival in the foyer of the
Post Graduate medical centre; the bust to which I refer is that of Samuel
Stretton, the first of three generations of Strettons who worked as surgeons in
Kidderminster
.
The Crimean war produced huge
improvements in the survival of war casualties. Florence Nightingale established
a base hospital as Scutari (now Uskudar), on the Asian side of the Bosphorus,
and with a handful of nurses and minimal equipment, reduced the mortality rate
amongst wounded and sick soldiers from 42 per hundred to 22 per thousand!
Samuel Stretton served as a
surgeon on the Crimean war and would have been greatly I influenced by these
nursing advances. After the treaty of
Paris
in 1856 he settled in I Kidderminster as a consulting surgeon and partner to
Dr.E.H. Addenbrooke in
Mill Street
.' He was chief surgeon for many years and was closely involved with the
construction of Mill Street Infirmary which was completed in 1870 at a cost of
£10,000. There is, of course, a Samuel Stretton ward at
Mill Street
to this day. The bust was carved in 1873, (date on back) when he was 42 years
old.
Samuel Stretton and his eldest
son, John Lionel Stretton, were founder members of the
Kidderminster
and District Medical Society. Samuel served as the inaugural president from
1893 to 1894. (He was succeeded by Dr. David Corbett) John Lionel Stretton was a
fellow student of W.G. Grace at Bart's and joined his father's practice in 1882
at the age of 22. He discovered a method of skin sterilisation using Iodine
which was published in the BMJ. He remained an honorary surgeon until 1938 and
Honorary Consulting Surgeon until his death in 1943. He also served as a Justice
of the Peace for many years.
John Weston Stretton, son of
John Lionel Stretton, was born in 1888, educated at Malvern,
Cambridge
and Bart's and duly joined his father as Honorary Surgeon to
Kidderminster
and District. He was also Honorary Surgeon to the
Guest
Hospital
,
Dudley
. He died during a nurses' prize giving ceremony in 1953 ending a medical
dynasty spanning nearly a century.
Samuel Stretton (1831 -
1920)
John Lionel Stretton (1860
- 1943)
John Weston Stretton (1888
- 1953)
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THE
BEWDLEY PRACTICE
1952 – 1992
Four years into the NHS and many
rough edges remained. There were two practices, that of Dr. Bob Miles and Jock
and Ruth Lillie in Bewdley and Dr. George Lawrence and his assistant Malcolm
Young, in Wribbenhall. Some rivalry was apparent! I joined the former as an
assistant.
The surgery in
Load Street
was typical of its day, consulting rooms and a waiting room in a private house.
No appointments. We considered ourselves rather advanced in having a part time
receptionist. The practice area consisted of a Bewdley much smaller than today
and a rural area extending out along a radius of about 10 miles to Clows Top,
Cleobury Mortimer, Stottesden and Alveley, where we had a branch surgery.
A tragedy occurred in the 1950's
when Dr. Jock Lillie one of the partners, died from a coronary aged 42. In the
early 1960's Dr. Lawrence died and the two practices united and the idea of a
purpose built premises was raised. The land was available, plans were drawn up
and the Medical Centre appeared - a first for the area! Just in time for the GP
charter of 1966.
During this time the population
was increasing and we were able to reduce the practice area, particularly in
Kiddenninster and Stourport. Between 1969 and 1980 Dr. Miles had died and Dr.
Young had to retire due to ill health and Dr. Ruth Lillie had retired. A new
generation of doctors joined the practice, bringing in new ideas, but accepting
many of the old traditions.
As is always the way, our smart
new surgery rapidly became too small and had to be enlarged to double its size.
The practice now consists of first dass premises, six full time partners and a
part time partner, a trainee and an odd job man to help out with surgeries. A
multitude of first class nurses, an essential practice manager, a large number
of very caring receptionists, secretarial and clerical workers, all ably
assisted by the attaChed district nurses and health visitors And finally, the
COMPUTER, without which would all the rest be possible? Much has changed and
much will change, but I am convinced that good medical practice and care
continues in Bewdley.
David Sargent
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John
Malcolm Elliott
Retiring Member
Born in
Worcester
in 1931 , Malcolm Elliott trained at
Birmingham
Medical
School
, graduating in 1954. Conscripted for National Service, he joined the Parachute
Brigade, taking part in anti-terrorist operations in
Cyprus
and in the
Suez
invasion, where foolhardy behaviour earned him a military cross.
He joined Rupert Hill in Genera!
Practice at Farfield House in 1958 and almost immediately became secretary of
the Kidderminster Medical Society, until changing to be the founder secretary of
the Kidderminster & District General Practitioner Association. He held
clinical Assistant posts in Geriatrics and Casualty at
Kidderminster
General
Hospital
. In 1970, finding general practice too emotionally demanding, he returned to
Birmingham to train as a radiologist, and, 5 years later, attracted by the
widely recognised high standards of medical practice, deliberately chose to
return to Kidderminster in a consultant post shared with Bromsgrove District. He
introduced several new diagnostic techniques, particularly angiography,
ultrasound and interventional procedures, later co-ordinating the introduction
of CT scanning between
Kidderminster
, Bromsgrove and Stourbridge. He continued to play an active part in medical
administration, serving on the District Management Team, and chairing the
district Medical and Ethical Committees. At regional level he chaired the
Regional Radiological Advisory Committee and the West Midlands Association of
Radiologists and served on the Regional Merit Awards, Scientific and Diagnostic
Services Committees. He was a guest lecturer on the management courses for
consultants and senior registrars at
Aston
University
, and gave tutorials on chest radiology to the students at the Wolverhampton
School of Physiotherapy.
He was also for some years
radiologist to
Hollymore
Hospital
, and visited Tenbury and
Highfield
Hospitals
weekly. As a strong advocate of close GP / Hospital cooperation, he was
instrumental in obtaining open access for GP patients at the latter. He
continued working at Bromsgrove and Redditch for a time after retiring from
Kidderminster in 1991, but has now retired completely to engage in various DIY
activities which he enjoys, and spending his time with his wife, Dorothy,
cruising in their yacht along the
South
Coast
, walking and playing with their grandchildren.
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