John Kirby is currently being treated at the hospital where he was appointed Assistant Chef in 1954 following a stint in the army. The local resident has been regaling staff of his stories from ‘the good old days’, remembering how he would bake 300 cakes a day for all patients and at weekends make one for each ward. Highlighting a different era, the master baker described how each staff group had their own dining rooms with doctors being served first, followed by the matron and her maid and finally nurses.
John, who is now 87, was invited to show off his culinary skills in Ward A4’s kitchen where he was more than happy to teach staff and patients how to make bread, which was devoured within minutes. His next ‘cooking class’ for staff and patients will demonstrate how to bake scones and lemon drizzle cake and is already eagerly anticipated.
Dawn Clare, Activities Coordinator for Ward A4, picks up the story: “It has been a delight to spend time with John, he is such a lovely man and a true gentleman in every sense of the word. My role is to encourage and support patients who can get out of bed to get dressed and keep moving, arranging activities which will motivate them and in doing so helping them to remain mobile and independent. I organise daily activities such as games and bingo and John’s enthusiasm and motivation has been infectious – as well as delicious!”
Patients admitted to hospitals, irrespective of their age, will lose muscle strength during their stay, so it really is in the interests of patients to help them be as mobile as possible and aids them in their rehabilitation.
Ward A4 has a treat for patients and their families next week with a visit from Andre ‘The Singing Porter’ to entertain them, watch out for pics from this in the Trust’s social media pages.
Good Health – A Pictorial Celebration of DBTH:
Cost: £6.99 (all proceeds to the Trust’s charity)
‘Good Health – A Pictorial Celebration of DBTH’ is authored by DBTH Archivist Garry Swann.
The former Medical Photographer has used his extensive knowledge and access to the hospitals’ archives to curate over 100 pages filled with images and photographs from yesteryear. All of our hospitals at Bassetlaw, Doncaster, Mexborough and Retford have their own sections, with a short history detailing their growth and development.
Preview: One, two, three and four.
You can pick up your copy from Doncaster Royal Infirmary’s Communications Department (Near to the Emergency Department) Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
To order your book for delivery, please use the following steps:
- Go to our Just Giving page and donate £9.99 (for cost of book and associated delivery)
- Once your payment is confirmed, please email dbth.comms@nhs.net confirming your name and the address you wish the book to be delivered to.
We will confirm once we have received everything and when your item has been shipped. If you have any problems or questions, please contact the email above or adam.tingle@nhs.net.
Thank you for supporting Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Charity.