I recently paid a visit to the University College London Hospital (UCLH) archives in Euston to discuss gratitude and see some of the archive’s holdings. Annie Lindsay and Penny McMahon have charge of a vast amount of material. Some fascinating highlights are on public display in UCLH’s highly recommended heritage trail. Annie and Penny gave me an insight into the kinds of documents that are preserved. Patronage, of course, is well documented, and this has an enduring legacy in a number of wards in hospitals being named for their donors. Complaints are also kept on record although, interestingly, Annie pointed out that in the past this largely depended on the diligence of the superintendent in charge. I was shown a formal complaints form from 1890. Complaints were often lodged by the patient’s sponsor on their behalf if it was felt that treatment was not up to the expected standards that the sponsor had paid for. Does paying for treatment at the point of delivery make complaints more common, I wonder?
We also discussed how gratitude is given and received today. Social media is important at UCLH and tweets saying ‘thank you’ are printed in the staff magazine. Patients expressing gratitude in this way is clearly valued and noticed. There is also a ‘good deed feed’ on the staff intranet for saying ‘thank you’ to colleagues.
The UCLH archive has a great collection of photos. The pic on the right is one of staff participating in festive shenanigans to help raise money for the hospital.