Empty hospital wards at work .
Had to transfer a patient to rehab hospital on a separate site, mid winter so already dark at 5pm and pissing it down . He was a man of very few words .
Hospital when I got there kindly informed me they’d shut three wards downstairs including all corridors due to norovirus so I’d have to go upstairs in lift, cross the entire hospital from up there, take patient down in the lift at the other side, and access downstairs ward that way .
I had to do this bloody journey twice, alone .
Nobody informed me that upstairs was disused and dark - no lights on - just emergency generator and my sodding phone torch .
So here’s me shuffling along with patient in silence, in the dark, in a very old hospital (previously a workhouse) - I was almost in tears . Upstairs hadn’t (and hasn’t ever) been updated so walls are covered in floral papers, it’s very eerie. Lifts still had iron gates that you had to open and shut to access.
Anyway got patient into ward, had to go back upstairs to cross back to other side of hospital, got back up and realised I could take the stairs .
Opened door to stairs and saw about forty faces staring back at me all dressed Victorian/WW2 . That did it, I nearly wet myself - managed to look properly and realised it was a fucking mural they’d painted to celebrate hospital’s centenary and history as a workhouse . It was very, very good .
But I never did - never would - do one of those runs with a patient again - and wouldn’t work there even if you promised me double pay .
Experienced very similar taking someone to a clinic and porter advised me to cross floor from one lift - said it was quicker - via wards that were initially left empty in case of some sort of disaster . Nope nope nope . Something about endless empty beds, it freaked me out . At least that patient could talk back and was similarly spooked .