Authors:
Explores the influence of AEGIS as a pressure group in improving care for older people in psychiatric hospitals, unlike other histories that attribute these improvements to the government
Offers a much-needed account of the experiences of older women, and other vulnerable people, on psychiatric wards
Highlights the ongoing relevance of AEGIS’s campaign today and how this history can inform current debate on chronic care for older people
Part of the book series: Mental Health in Historical Perspective (MHHP)
Buying options
Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
About this book
This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.
This book tells the story of Barbara Robb and her pressure group, Aid for the Elderly in Government Institutions (AEGIS). In 1965, Barbara visited 73-year-old Amy Gibbs in a dilapidated and overcrowded National Health Service psychiatric hospital back-ward. She was so appalled by the low standards that she set out to make improvements. Barbara’s book Sans Everything: A case to answer was publicly discredited by a complacent and self-righteous Ministry of Health. However, inspired by her work, staff in other hospitals ‘whistle-blew’ about events they witnessed, which corroborated her allegations. Barbara influenced government policy, to improve psychiatric care and health service complaints procedures, and to establish a hospitals' inspectorate and ombudsman. The book will appeal to campaigners, health and social care staff and others working with older people, and those with an interest in policy development in England, the 1960s, women’s history and the history of psychiatry and nursing.
Keywords
- psychogeriatric
- elderly
- older people
- chronic illness
- mental health
- AEGIS
- NHS
- public services
- Sans Everything
- Open Access
Reviews
“Barbara Robb succeeded from both her sheer force of personality and her unerring instinct for how to engage with the media and with government – this book could double as a handbook to any campaigner seeking to highlight and reform injustices.” (Amanda Thompsell, Chair, Old Age Faculty, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK)
“Claire Hilton has reminded us of an iconic woman who singlehandedly did so much to change and improve the care of people who have mental health problems. This seminal work should be read by students of all disciplines who are studying for a career in working with the mentally ill.” (Peter Carter OBE, former general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, UK)
Authors and Affiliations
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Institute of Contemporary British History and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
Claire Hilton
About the author
Claire Hilton has been a National Health Service psychiatrist in London, UK, for 18 years. Her research has ranged from mental health of young people with sickle cell disease in Jamaica to clinical and historical aspects of old age psychiatry with a particular interest in the interface between history, policy and practice.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Improving Psychiatric Care for Older People
Book Subtitle: Barbara Robb’s Campaign 1965-1975
Authors: Claire Hilton
Series Title: Mental Health in Historical Perspective
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54813-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: History, History (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
License: CC BY
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-54812-8Published: 02 October 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-85490-8Published: 10 August 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-54813-5Published: 15 September 2017
Series ISSN: 2634-6036
Series E-ISSN: 2634-6044
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXIII, 283
Number of Illustrations: 13 b/w illustrations, 4 illustrations in colour
Topics: History of Britain and Ireland, Social History, History of Medicine, Gender Studies