IT WAS 1945, the Second world War was ending and, in Manchester, a young woman was embarking on her nursing career at the tender age of 16.

Patricia Kerfoot finished her astonishing legacy of service in Southbourne but she began it even before the advent of the NHS, which was born in 1948.

Patricia's job was to care for infants at the Duchess of York Hospital for Babies. And the contrast to today's paediatric care couldn't have been more different.

“We didn’t really use antibiotics on the babies and we mainly treated illnesses with drips and rest," she says. "The premature unit had a coal fire which needed to be kept up day and night and we fed babies with pipettes. Trainees like me weren’t allowed to hold a baby until they were 17 and there was no doctor on site, we had to call if we needed one.”

Many of the babies were brought in suffering with dehydration from sickness and diarrhoea and often had lice from the poor living conditions at the time. Some that were admitted were so poorly they couldn’t be saved, says Patricia.

Visiting hours on the baby ward were restricted to one hour every other Sunday which, Patricia admits, must have been unbearable for the families.

“Looking back, this limited amount of visiting must have been awful for the family of the babies, especially for the mothers," she says. "Some of the babies were only a few weeks old so I can’t imagine how that must have been for them.”

Despite all this she 'loved' her job and stayed for three years before moving to King's college, London, to become a general nurse.

Patricia worked on rotation, changing hospital areas every three months to build up experience. Her general nursing training consisted of lectures every day for two months although, she says, she mainly learnt on the job.

Surprisingly, given its momentous effect and obvious benefits, Patricia felt that the introduction of the NHS didn’t seem like a 'big deal'.

“It didn’t really affect us nurses to be honest," she says. "It didn’t impact the care we gave our patients, although I do remember a couple saying how nice it was that their food and treatment were free now.”

Due to family circumstances Patricia had a break from nursing and moved back to Manchester in 1950. She returned to the profession in 1962 and noted the hierarchy on the wards was common throughout the country.

“Matron was key in everything and knew about everything! There was a matron and two assistant matrons and no managers to speak of.”

The length of stay for patients is something that has transformed since the early days of the NHS. Patricia remembers how, in the 1940’s, a patient who had their appendix removed would be in hospital for two weeks and then spend another two weeks in a rehabilitation hospital. This is in complete contrast to today where a patient would generally stay in a few days unless there were complications.

In 1973 Patricia moved to Bournemouth with her husband before he sadly died in 1975. She started work in Douglas House Hospital in Southbourne Road and worked there until she retired in 1983.

Reflecting on finishing her nursing career in Southbourne, Patricia says: “It was such a lovely place to work and had a lovely feel. “The staff really loved their jobs and put on shows and sang for the patients.

“I really enjoyed working on the medical and surgical wards during my 20’s and 30’s but my favourite nursing role was at Douglas House. It was a fantastic place to finish my career and I have very fond memories of my time here.”