Was nursing and midwifery really like call the midwife??

[Goingforplatinum]

I've been rewatching call the midwife on Iplayer and would love to have been a nurse like they show on screen.
As a nurse for the last 10 years I hate my job, I spend 5 minutes with a patient and 20 minutes writing about them, that's not why I went into nursing. They seem to have so much time for each patient they see and not overrun with paper work and constantly covering their back.
Was that really what nursing was like back then??

I've read all Jennifer Worths books and would like to know also. Unless the books don't describe the time for writing notes etc, then I can only assume they did have more time to give patient care?

It just seems so lovely. Like the patient is the most important thing to them. Even though the patient is supposed to be at the centre now, staffing and trying not to get sued seems to be at the forefront

I've been a community nurse for 20 years and there's still lots of things I recognise in CTM.

Have you ever read the book it was based on? It's worth a read, it really gives the impression that that was the way things were.

I don't work in the NHS but my own DDs experience of going to the GPs etc is very different to mine just 30 years ago and we are with the same practice (although it's formed a cluster with other GP surgeries) in the area and even with some of the same Dr's. When I was younger the Dr would come and collect you from the waiting room, making small talk with the rest of the waiting room and really knew the patients, now it's all automated and just a screen with your room number on it.

When my mum went into hospital when I was a child the nurses had time to sit and chat to her when she didn't have visitors and were busy but didn't remember it being chaotic and rushed off their feet.

Nowadays nursing, much like teaching (and my dreams of being like Miss Honey) are more fantasy than anything now it all seems much less person focused but target and paperwork focused instead.

In what way? I did the community for 12 months, but again the afternoons where spent in the office on a computer, although I did feel I had more time and connection with patients on the community then I did in the hospital.

That sounds so nice. I love the idea of the doctor actually knowing his patients.

My sister was born at home early 60s . I remember the midwives coming in and spending time with us. I remember the local church hall was the clinic, very similar to the one in CTM and going there to collect rosehip syrup and watching the babies being weighed.
When we had measles the doctor visited us at home twice a day .

I have read quite a few of the memoirs from that time, and Jennifer Worths books. What struck me, was how much time was wasted on doing things in certain ways. For example a dressing trolley has to be set up in a certain way etc. Also how much independence was taken away from patients, who could have done things for themselves. Though I'd line a cape and starched hat. I've been a paediatric nurse for 19 years and I still love it!

I trained to be a nurse early 90s and you got a lot of time with the patients. It was far better, less bureaucratic and complicated.

I remember one patient 💇when I was a student who was a Catholic priest and he begged me to go out and get him a quarter bottle of whisky and 20 John Player Special 😂 I had to sneak them in then he got into trouble for smoking in the toilets 🤦

You had time to care back then. I've retired early because it's a horrible job now. It's so cynical and you spend all your time doing paperwork and covering your arse.

There was definitely more time to spend with your patient and more staff, many of whom were students who spent more time on the wards then. We saw the same patients more often and got to know them. Another main differences is the amount of paperwork now compared to the very brief notes then. Nowadays even the most mundane interaction is documented for fear of reprisal.

I started nurse training early 80s.

We always referred to each other as Nurse x, Sister y.. first names were unheard of. The attitudes in CTM to cleaning, smart uniforms etc are very real. Nurse Crane was not untypical.

Community nursing wasn't quite like CTM but it was similar.. we 'nursed' the patients, bedbathed, visited the dying. Spent time with families.

When I was a child the doctor knew families, visited when we were poorly, even checked on us when not asked.

When I was a student midwife 25 years ago we used to see women at home daily, have a long cup of tea and a chat. Now it's once or twice and apparently that's good! Medicine/obstetrics has moved on so far that there are so many tests that need time and money and staff. The mortality and morbidity rate is much improved yet women's health seemly worse ie raised BMI, previous c/s giving placental problems in next pregnancy etc.

My mum trained in the 60s and in her day patient care was key, every night on night shift they would collect the false teeth and clean them!
When my dad was in hospital a few years ago he had a pain in his back (turned out to be cancer) a nurse got him a paracetamol, she said in her day the nurse would have rubbed his back
Touch and time with the patients was really important back then

I'm in my 30s however I've had 2 babies at home and I remember my nan (90s) was surprised that I didn't know my midwife- not even her name (never seen the same midwife once even for appointments) . She had her 3 babies at home, they didn't have a telephone in their homes so neighbours would step in to help before one of the dads would run to the telephone box (three streets away) to call the midwife - my nans delivered two neighbours babies as the midwife took to long to cycle.

We had some really interesting conversations about early motherhood & pregnancy - it seemed so different to today however the nurses and midwives did seem to be much more stricter than they are now. My nan wasn't allowed her older children in the house when she was delivering her third - my mum and her older sister had to wait next door watching for the stork out of the window. 😅

I think when I was having mine in the early 90s we were seen by a midwife every day for 5 days.. it was written in stone and extended if needed. The HV then took over

I watched CTM on catch up with my MIL earlier, and we had a chat about how things were in general in 1967 - she was around 10 years old then. She lived with her family in a rented room in a large house, kitchen/living room/bedroom all in one room, no bathroom, just an outside communal toilet. No central heating, no landline, no TV. No supermarkets. Family tended to live closer to each other than they do today and people really knew their neighbours. They were really poor, but it sounded lovely from how she described it.

I'm also a nurse and would love to work back in the community back then, can't imagine there would be as much paperwork as now.

That sounds really lovely, I felt totally alone when having my baby, although I think covid had a big part to play

My grandparents where born in the 30s and I love the stories about when they where young. She often says the same, family living close, all the children playing in the street and neighbours in and out of each others houses. Sounds idyllic, apart from the no central heating.

When I was little I fell and hurt myself, it was after 6pm. My mum just took me along to the doctors house and asked him to look at me. Had a couple of stitches while mum chatted with his wife over a cup of tea (I got a bot of cake and some squash).
The district nurse was well known by almost everyone.
Different days, much more friendly.

Paediatrics is slightly less pressure. We have a much smaller workload than adult nurses do and we do get to know our patients. And have time to chat/ play with them. Though most kids are glued to screens now.

I had DS in 2014. My community midwife was the same woman throughout. Her name was Claire and she was a wonderful woman!

She came to my house to do the "booking in" I then visited her once every 4-6 weeks in the GP surgery. I had a hospital birth, and was home after 3hours of delivering.

The very next morning round came Claire, she cuddled baby, made me a cup of tea and I saw her in my home for a few weeks post birth, then the HV took over really, her name was Alison, also a lovely woman, you could text her, call her, shed pop in and do scheduled visits.

My community midwife/HV experience was wonderful. Maybe it's dependant on area. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Funny story, I remember the booking in appointment and she turned up with a big coat on and hood up, it wasn't even raining or cold! I was confused. But her hoodie had midwife on the back in big letters.

And she said "I always wear the coat for the first couple of visits" because people know me and if they see the midwife visiting the house, your secret is out 🤣

I’m not a nurse but work in a clinical role in the NHS.
I remeber in one of the episodes the Nurse was sent out to a newly diagnosed diabetic pt for twice daily insulin, now patients are taught to do that themselves.

Although a little off topic as not really NHS but when I had DD in 2009 our town had lots of Surestart centres and they were fabulous, the Health visitors were based there, the toddler groups were often based in purpose built buildings or sometimes in satellite bases in community buildings and Church halls just like in CTM and there was so much to do and such a community feel. There were toddler groups, breast feeding support, nutrition and weaning classes, parenting courses, toddler cooking, music groups, signing groups, messy play etc and everything was free (thank you the government that brought that in).
I don't think my town has anything for mums/parents to go to with their young babies and toddlers any more not even classes you pay for with the exception of Bounce and Rhyme sessions at the library and even that sense of community has gone.

I don’t know much about it but I always thought the concept of the maternity home looked lovely- pop along and have a nice rest for a week while a kindly nurse takes baby to the nursery while you have a sleep!