Railway hospitals

[weepingwillowb]

Doing some research on a different subject when I came across a report of the building of a railway hospital in Crewe. Did other railway towns have railway hospitals?

...."A NEW RAILWAY HOSPITAL AT CREWE.—The London and North-Western Railway Company are widening all their lines to the north leading out of Crewe, and three new bridges have to be constructed. Plans have been passed for a new railway hospital in Mill-street. It will be a very elaborate structure, with provision for forty beds, operating chamber, isolation ward, and surgeon's house. The old hospital is wanted for extension purposes."
Newton & Earlestown Guardian, Friday, 19th January 1900

Nantwich Museum's website mentions it, together with its location on a map.

Crewe Railway Hospital – Nantwich Museum

nantwichmuseum.org.uk

By 1928 it had become the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Hospital.

London, Midland and Scottish Railway Hospital, Crewe

 

[krus_aragon]

At the other end of the scale, I've found evidence of small independent railways (e.g. the Anglesey Central) having medical cover for staff and their families provided by local doctors. I learned this from reading a railwayman's letter of complaint to the directors at the standard of care the doctor had given to his daughter.

 

[StephenHunter]

Industrial accidents were very common back then. Not surprised they'd have a dedicated hospital.

 

[Magdalia]

I recall Tim Dunn covering this on a visit to Swindon in one of the episodes of "The Architecture the Railways Built".

 

[weepingwillowb]

I've read that safety for some railway staff, notably with shunters, was very poor through the 19th century, so it would make sense to have medical facilities close to where they might needed most. Not a subject that had ever crossed my mind before.

 

[Gloster]

I think that railway hospitals were only to be found at some of the towns with large concentrations of one company’s employees, mainly (if not exclusively) those with works. Otherwise there was unlikely to be much in the way of help: if you were injured, it was up to you to manage things. Local doctors or hospitals might be paid a retainer, but this was as much related to the company finding out if and how you could continue to be employed as looking after you as a patient (i.e. the company’s interests came first). There were occasional subscriptions from companies and they would, to varying extents, support and assist local insurance schemes organised by employees. However, most companies had the same attitude as many large companies today: the worker is just a tool who can be dispensed with if broken. The only thing is that there was even less comeback then if you were injured by your employer’s fault. (All from memory of bits and pieces I have read over the years.)

 

[Rescars]

In terms of primary medical care, IIRC a loco had to be kept in steam at all times at Riccarton Junction so a doctor could be collected and brought in to attend to any medical emergencies (there being no road access whatsoever to Riccarton Junction for most of the settlement's existence).

Most of the railway friendly societies were set up to provide funding for medical health care in case of accidents.

 

[DerekC]

This is an interesting subject area. There is a good article on Wiki called "Railway Surgery" which includes all sorts of facts that I didn't know, some of which are relevant to this thread. - I won't bother to link it because it's very easy to find.

One odd fact that amused me is a bit OT. In the 1870s, after the UK government passed an Act forcing railway companies to compensate victims of accidents, an epidemic of "railway spine" occurred which went on until the 1900s. Millions were paid out in compensation, much of which was probably fraudulently claimed. Strong parallels with the current whiplash epidemic!!

 

[Rescars]

This is an interesting subject area. There is a good article on Wiki called "Railway Surgery" which includes all sorts of facts that I didn't know, some of which are relevant to this thread. - I won't bother to link it because it's very easy to find.

One odd fact that amused me is a bit OT. In the 1870s, after the UK government passed an Act forcing railway companies to compensate victims of accidents, an epidemic of "railway spine" occurred which went on until the 1900s. Millions were paid out in compensation, much of which was probably fraudulently claimed. Strong parallels with the current whiplash epidemic!!

And that's a century before "ironing board" seats were invented!

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Of course , the Swindon "hospital" set up was used as a model for Aneurin Bevan and the post war NHS. ........