A family mystery....any advice?

[cathyaus]

I have recently traced a relative that I found out was in Calderstones Hospital.
I contacted the Medical Records Dept & they were fantastic & found the details of the relative - even though she had been discharged from there back in 1976.

We were always told that patients records are destroyed 10 years after their death - otherwise the hospital would run out of space to store them.

Hi Debbie

I thought that the records were destroyed after 20 years - but thought that I would still try. We received a brief summary of the patient's history which included details about family members - for example - the patient had another
sister that had died at an early age that I wasn't aware of. Maybe it has something to do with the closeness in relationship  ?? I was after information about my husband's aunt & wanted to know the medical reason why she was in Calderstones - maybe that is the difference  We also had sent along in the email - a copy of her birth certificate issued in 1927 as proof that we were the closest living relative.

[bluebellwoods]

Calderstones is still operating as an NHS hospital for people who have learning disabilities and as a secure unit for people held under mental health legislation. Only part of the grounds were sold and redeveloped.
It opened in 1915 and was used a military hospital (Queen Mary's) during the first world war, after which it became an Asylum. There were other institutions in the area, Brockhall hospital, now redeveloped and Langho Colony, now known as Kemple View hospital. Langho is very close to Whalley. There was also an asylum at what is now Mytton Fold Hotel and golf complex.
The records for Calderstones are held at Lancashire Records Office.
I would be wary of assuming that a death in Whalley would have been registered at Blackburn - more likely to have been registered in Clitheroe

[bhaven]

I am very interested in Calderstones Institution, Whalley as a relative I have traced was a male nurse there  when he died in 1935.  There was jst a coroner's report but no mention of next of kin on death cert..  I am not sure how I can find out if he left wife or family. It doesn't say on the certificate if he was married. I wonder if a nurse would live-in . I just can't seem to find anything about him

Jean

[csw]

Calderstones NHS trust is on Mitton road Whalley, it has been there since just before world was one and was mainly used as a war time hospital with its own power station and railway line (which has now gone), for more information about deaths i would contact ribble valley county council or lancashire county council as they are where it is situated.

between the beginning of world war one to 1920 it was also know as Queen Marys hospital or county Asylum at Whalley.

http://www.institutions.org.uk/asylums/england/LAN/whalley_asylum.htm

there was a block dedicated to nurses quarters and it is still there now.
I hope it helps

[bhaven]

Thanks csw, will try that

Jean

[Julz1211]

Hi Lizzie,
I'm not sure just what would have been kept. I've been a nurse for over 25 years and have written hundreds of thousands of entries in patients notes over the years I should imagine!

We were always told that patients records are destroyed 10 years after their death - otherwise the hospital would run out of space to store them. How true that is I don't know...

Hi my mother was put into Brockhall in 1958 because of  a child out of wedlock she was discharged in July 1970
My mum has asked data protection in Lancashire for a consent form to access her records which they told her  they would send out.
Still waiting 4 weeks on.
With no reply to emails or phone calls. Very strange🤔 as the LANCASHIRE library 📚 held very little information they told her.
So don't know what else to do to help her.
As this as truly been a long & stressful search
X

[LizzieW]

Hi Lizzie,
I'm not sure just what would have been kept. I've been a nurse for over 25 years and have written hundreds of thousands of entries in patients notes over the years I should imagine!

We were always told that patients records are destroyed 10 years after their death - otherwise the hospital would run out of space to store them. How true that is I don't know...

In my case the notes definitely exist.  When the archivists relented and let me have the first couple of pages of my g.uncle's notes I found that on his admission page where it asked had any other relative had a mental illness, the answer was that his uncle had been admitted to the same hospital.  So I contacted the archivists again and because my g.uncle's uncle (my 2 x g.uncle) had died in 1902, so more than 100 years ago they were happy to send me a copy of his record.  In fact when I said that I had a few names of my g.uncle's uncles, they even told me which one it was of the names I'd given them!

When I first wrote to Prestwich Asylum a senior official  there told me that the records were held by the archives in Manchester and that if I wrote and told them that he'd given permission for me to have the records they would send me a copy.  However, the archivists overruled the NHS man and quoted the "100 year rule".  In the case of my g.uncle it is ridiculous, he never married and not only are all his siblings long dead, so are all his nephews and nieces so the next people still living are my generation and we are all over 70 and as my g.uncle died in 1964, none of us will be around in 2064.

[PabloC]

Hi all,

Had quite forgotten about this enquiry given the time that has passed since my initial post.

However, just to update the thread, I did indeed find out about my Dad's uncle James Cuddy, and it was quite a sad discovery.

On the death if their mother in 1927 aged 47, five years after their father died (officially Bronchitis, but suspect more likely as a result of gas poisoning) aged 43, the younger children were all split up between the elder children, apart from James.

He was admitted to Blackburn Whalley in 1927 aged 10.

He remained there until his death aged 51. I have no idea if he was ever visited, and none of my surviving aunties/uncles can confirm this either.

I have located a reference to his medical records, but they are unavailable for release for some time owing to the date of the last set of records being some time after.

Was quite shocking for everyone to disover this, as they'd all been told he died in 1927...the year he was admitted!

Dark family secrets...