Community and the voluntary hospitals in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, 1900-1946: economy, society, culture.

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Cheetham, E., 2020. Community and the voluntary hospitals in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, 1900-1946: economy, society, culture. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

This thesis spans the first half of the 20th Century, charting the progress and challenges of the voluntary hospital system in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The voluntary hospitals were the key sites of acute medical care for the working-classes from their foundations in the late 18th Century to their demise after the Second World War. Funded by a mixture of charitable donations, mutualist mass-contribution schemes, and occasional state aid in times of crisis, the voluntary hospitals were otherwise independent from any overarching authority, subject only to the demands of their community. This thesis looks at how the voluntary hospitals operated in the mixed socioeconomic background of two Midland counties with drastic regional variation: geographically, socially, and economically. Home to many voluntary hospitals, ranging from the larger Derbyshire Infirmary and Nottingham General in the county capitals, down to tiny cottage hospitals ensconced in the industrial towns and rolling dales. Fundamentally, the thesis asks the question: to what extent are voluntary hospitals reflections of their community? To answer this, myriad sources from over a dozen different hospitals are drawn upon, addressing matters of finance, civil society, recreation and leisure, charity and philanthropy, leadership, mutualism and self-help, war and crisis. It looks at the large-scale fundraising events organised in the towns, the carnivals and parades, as well as the financial schemes masterminded by the hospitals to cultivate a sense of medical security for the populace, as well as financial security for the hospitals. It looks at each ‘era’ within its own context, using context at both a national and - more importantly - local level.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Cheetham, E.
Date:	September 2020
Rights:	The copyright in this work is held by the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the author.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Arts and Humanities
Record created by:	Jeremy Silvester
Date Added:	27 May 2021 08:38
Last Modified:	31 May 2021 15:02
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/42932