Product Description

'Running Casualty is really very simple: you have to love everybody, you have to listen to everybody; and when in doubt you do just what Sister O'Hanlon tells you' - Mr William Rutherford, A & E Consultant. When Kate O'Hanlon started work at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, the people brought in to the A & E department were suffering from medical emergencies or were victims of road traffic accidents and Saturday night scuffles. So when the telephone rang on 26 June, 1966 with the news that there had been a shooting in Malvern Street, no one in the department believed it. Soon such incidents became daily occurrences and the Royal went on to treat more victims of the Troubles than any other hospital. Kate spent sixteen years as sister in charge of A & E, working through many of the darkest days of the Troubles. Told with her trademark blend of warmth, compassion and humour, this is her fascinating and extraordinary story of nursing on the front line.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #139012 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 149 pages

About the Author
Kate O'Hanlon (MBE) was born in the Markets area of Belfast. She worked in business for fourteen years before training to become a nurse. She worked at the Royal Victoria Hospital from 1966-1988, and was sister-in-charge of the casualty department sixteen years. Described on her retirement as 'the United Kingdom's best known casualty nurse' (Belfast Telegraph), Kate was chairman of the Royal College of Nursing's A&E Forum for nine years and secretary for three. She has travelled the world, attending conferences to talk about her experiences, and formed part of a un delegation that visited Gaza and the West Bank to assess the emergency facilities available to the Palestinian victims of the Intafada. She is a Dame of the Order of Malta.

Customer Reviews

Nursing in the NHS has never been so challenging!
A great insight, loved the stories about trying to get across the hospital while a gun battle was occurring in the grounds. Brought out the important issue that all patients should be treated the same. Book very easy to read and moves along quickly. I would recommend it to nurses both past and present and those interested in the recent history of Ireland.