Taking good care
amn!" exclaimed Jenny as she removed the burnt toast from under the grill
and tossed it into the rubbish bin. "Why do things always go wrong when you
are in a hurry?"
The irritation factor of yet another mishap for the morning was the last straw. With a regretful glance at her freshly brewed coffee, Jenny decided she would have to skip breakfast altogether. Grabbing her briefcase and keys from the sideboard, she spun around only to be halted by a shriek from her precious Pekinese.
"Oh Suzie I am so sorry".
Jenny dropped to her knees, momentarily forgetting the urgency of her flight. After several unsuccessful attempts at coaxing the frightened dog out from under the settee Jenny gave up and retrieved her briefcase. She set her mind back to the business at hand. The wall clock indicated that she was already too late to make her first appointment and while it irked her to reschedule, she decided at this point it was the only satisfactory course of action.
Jenny's red Mazda 323 weaved in and out of the rush hour traffic trying to make the best possible speed. Over the last six months it seemed to her that she had become tardy about going to work and this led her to muse on what had changed since she first took up her present position.
"This will be your office Dr Chambers!" Robert Sykes, the Chief Executive Officer, waved his arm to encompass the modest but neatly furnished room which to its credit, had a splendid view of the grounds. "The Board and I trust it's to your satisfaction"
Fresh out of University, she had been so keen and idealistic, believing that she could make a difference. It was her first opportunity to really show what she could do. But it had taken only eighteen short months in the real world to find out that it was not so easy. Firstly, she had not realised that money played such a major role in determining outcomes. It wasn't just her department that was singled out. Indeed, cuts in finance influenced everyone's ability to perform their jobs effectively.
She had rebelled against the system at first, unable to believe that patient care could be compromised to such an extent. Without realising it, she had worked harder and longer in an attempt to cover the shortfalls. It took a personal toll, leaving her not only exhausted but disillusioned.
She had worked long hours during her training, often going days without sleep and still she had been able to function well. The exhaustion she felt now was of a different kind, more spiritual. Something would have to change. She would have to get out from under. The real question was, how?
The toot of a car horn brought her back to the present and she realised that she had reached the entrance drive to the clinic. She swung her car through the gates and drove the short distance to the parking space reserved for her use. For the first time in months she was aware of the beauty of her surroundings.
The building was old. Nearly 60 years they had told her with pride when she had first arrived. There had been a lot of alterations over the years, of course, not all of them enhancing the original beauty of the structure. The most recent extension had been a further upgrade to the kitchen brought about when health authorities threatened to close the clinic altogether. The grounds, once reputed to be among the best in the State, now showed marked signs of the neglect resulting from funding cuts.
Walking through the front door and down the corridor to her office, Jenny noticed unattended desks where once a bevy of staff had attended to patient needs. Public telephone booths now stood empty, bare wires hanging desolate from the wall. A vandalised drinks machine no one had bothered to repair or replace stood silently in an alcove. Each of these marked the passage of time. She imagined how it must all have been in its heyday. Vital, alive, filled with scurrying people. There had been plenty of money and time for excellent patient care then. She was filled with a sudden sadness at the loss.
She automatically acknowledged several people including Dr. Hollander, the Chief of Medicine, and the receptionist, Margaret, before finally sliding behind her desk and opening her appointment schedule for the day.
"Jenny," she chided herself. "This will never do."
Mentally shaking herself, she brightened as she skimmed down her list of patients for the day. Here were some people she could help.
Brett Hollander watched Jenny arrive. His eyes indicated, not for the first time, what an attractive girl he considered her. He acknowledged her greeting and noted a sadness about her that had not been there when she had first come to work at Willlowmere Clinic.
It happens to all the young ones these days, he thought, and it was not to be wondered at. Like all the older staff, he had long since accepted the inevitability of present day funding, and did the best he could with what was available, however inadequate.
"Good morning Ruth," he said to the nurse standing by the ward desk. "Morning Dr. Hollander," she responded. "You're early for your rounds this morning."
The casual friendliness with which they greeted each other gave no inkling of the true nature of their relationship. They had known each other for years and although they were both single, footloose and fancy free, neither wished to either advertise or formalise their long term affair.
Dr Hollander, like all the consultants, was well aware of how the nursing staff got into a state if they arrived early for rounds. Unlike most, though, he cared, and he always tried not to surprise them. On this occasion, however, he had an important meeting scheduled. The Chairman had called a special meeting of the hospital board. Not being privy to the agenda, or to how long proceedings would take, he wanted to make sure his rounds were out of the way first.
"I'm sorry to inconvenience you, Ruth," he said, offering her one of his famous smiles. "I trust you will indulge me on this occasion?"
"Certainly Doctor. Perhaps you would care to see Mrs. Cronyn first?" Ruth responded formally. "She had a restless night and her temperature spiked around two am."
As they neared the end of rounds, the cardiac arrest alarm sent the usual adrenalin rush through those aware of its significance.
Hospital consultants Brown and Lightfoot had been deep in conversation just outside the surgical ward when the alarm commanded their attention. Like other occupants of the hall they both pressed their bodies hard against the wall to allow free passage for the contingent of emergency attendants who accompanied the crash cart down the hall. Watching the receding group with interest until it disappeared around the corner, they returned to their discussion.
"Are you sure John?" Dr Lightfoot asked his companion.
"Yes," Dr Brown replied. "The word is it will be announced at this morning's board meeting."
"Wow! Just like that. No chance they will change their minds I suppose?"
As his friend shook his head, Dr Lightfoot realised this was really going to upset a lot of people. He sure as hell didn't want to be around when the news of the clinic's closure was released.
Fortunately, Jenny's late start to the day hadn't been an indication of things to come. She felt satisfied that her clinic had gone extremely well. She had made several diagnoses that she considered difficult and what was more, she was sure she would be able to offer her patients satisfactory treatment. Her biggest coup though was when she successfully led the cardiac arrest team in the resuscitation during the morning. The patient had been in her seventies and suffering from incurable cancer. Her family, like so many others were unable to let her go, to release her from her suffering and had wanted her to be resuscitated. Jenny was pleased with her day's work and her earlier foreboding had lifted. For the first time in months she felt more enthusiastic about her chosen career.
By the time the Chairman and the CEO entered the room, speculation was rife and rumours were being openly discussed between board members. Before the Chairman was able to take his place at the head of the table he had been overwhelmed by questions. Raising his right hand above his head he called for silence.
"It is my arduous task," he continued "to have to inform you all that as of 30th June all admissions into Willowmere Clinic will cease. There is also to be an investigation of deaths occurring at the clinic over the past twelve months."
Members of the Board sat looking at each other trying to absorb what they had just been told. They were aware that financial difficulties had plagued the clinic over the last few years but they believed with all the restructuring they had put in place things had been turned around. The news of the investigation was a bombshell.
The Board had converted Willowmere from specialising in the care of cancer patients into other areas of patient care that were less expensive to provide and generated higher profits. They had employed younger, more energetic staff to ensure the long term viability of the establishment. Nothing had prepared them for the closure, which would cause great financial difficulty, or for this terrible talk of investigations.
The Chairman cleared his throat and went on. "While I am not in the position to divulge a great deal to you, I can say that on the advice of the coroner the police are to undertake a complete investigation into several unexplained deaths here at Willowmere".
He had the complete attention of the Board members.
"I would like to commend the Board for its support, especially in view of financial difficulties inherited from the previous Board. You will be kept informed of developments."
He rose, as did the CEO, saying "Thank you gentlemen," and swiftly left the boardroom before anyone could speak.
Jenny entered her office, taking care to lock the door behind her. Moving to the filing cabinet, she withdrew a key from her pocket and unlocked it. She removed her diary from its hiding place at the back of the drawer and after placing it on top of her desk she sat down and began to read through her files. There were seventeen entries in all and as Jenny read she was filled with a sense of pride.
Some of the entries pleased her more than others. She had been particularly pleased with her care of young Joshua Molding. At twelve years of age he had been through a lifetime of suffering and how she hated to see suffering. His condition was terminal but his parents would have continued to search for a cure if Joshua hadn't ended it all by passing away peacefully in his sleep. He was such a brave boy and Jenny was pleased that he had been placed in her care.
Jenny passed her hand over her brow because her head had begun to ache again. She was anxious to go home and check on her dog. She hoped that Suzie, whom she had left whimpering in pain that morning had quite recovered. She really didn't relish the idea of having to intervene and lose another pet because it was suffering.
Taking her pen she began to make a further entry in her diary.
"Mary Raymond," she wrote, "aged 63. Condition: Lymphoma."
The patient, who suffered from a terminal condition went into cardiac arrest at 9.52am on January 15 1996. Jenny paused to reflect. It should have ended there she thought, if it hadn't been for her family's insistence that she be resuscitated.
Returning her attention to her diary she continued to write.
"I commenced resuscitation with the assistance of the rostered crash team. Despite being hampered by so many witnesses, I was able to manipulate the process significantly enough to be able to report a successful result. Mrs Raymond was relieved of further suffering when life was pronounced extinct at 11.02am of the same day."
Jenny closed her diary and returned it to the cabinet. She was so dreadfully tired but she knew she must continue her work. It was too important not to go on. There were so many people out there who still needed her help. Why, she wondered as she left her office, was it all left up to her?
