Michelle Dutton

After moving North from London for the sake of love, I started working for Central Manchester Trust in 2004, as the librarian for Pendlebury and Blackley Children’s hospital libraries. I’d tried several different library settings, but chosen to be a librarian in a hospital as I wanted to contribute to something that was such a key part of society. An institution that has helped my family and friends in multiple moments of mind and body weakness.

A hospital is a community within itself, where a myriad of professions and staff find connections and all contribute to the same cause: one of the basics of life, healthcare. We’re all working to find the best fit, evidence-based answers for overall practice and individual cases. Providing access to the information sources, including the reliable and simple book, and assisting staff with queries and training allows me to have my own corner in this set up – metaphorically in the structure and literally in a shared space library!  A service for every member of staff whether learning, studying, researching or needing guidance and time out for wellbeing and escapism.

We merged all of the hospital Libraries into one facility from 2007 – 2009, based on the Oxford Road Campus alongside the newly sited hospitals as part of a Private Finance Initiative build.  Hard work and a great change for us all, but as it had been the plan since the day I started, I mostly felt prepared for this.  The addition of Trafford to the Trust happened whilst I was on a maternity leave year in 2012, and on my return to work I was keen to go over to meet my new colleagues.  For the first 6 months I took the internal bus from Oxford Road to Trafford once a week, and due to a propensity for travel sickness, often arrived headachey and weak, or dreading the return journey back!  I persevered though, and Helen the librarian always offered to make me a drink when I walked in as a much needed distraction.  And that’s how Trafford hospital has always felt to me – don’t worry now that you’re here, we’ll help each other.

The Trust has since further expanded, with each site spread across Manchester, all having their own local feel. The first thing that struck me about the Trafford site though, was the trees.  Although mostly surrounded by a residential area, it instantly felt like a very green site.  When I learned to drive, the first non-family passenger in my car was Elaine from the library to help me navigate the correct onsite parking – as I drove down the main road at the front of the building I nearly turned in on the wrong side of the entrance as I distracted myself marvelling at the welcoming setting!  Over the years and library staff changes, my involvement with Trafford has changed, but I’m now proud to be associated with the historical first NHS hospital.  Each working day includes trips to the restaurant, security, cashiers, the post room, the WRVS all with friendly corridor waves, hellos and conversations along the way.  We all go off to our separate wards, offices and rooms, but the clocktower allows us to navigate around the site surrounding it, and the blue plaque a reminder of the fabulous history and achievements that we can all take pride in.

The laminator speaks

I was delivered to the Trafford education centre, bought for the library
My place was next to the printer
I was next to the golf course, and the nurse’s home, looking across to the hospital
Staff and visitors driving past us each day on the busy hospital site
I laminated simple posters for library staff, students, and clinical staff
about procedures, good practice, opening times, warnings and don’t forgets

And then the staff phone calls started over the uncertainty of the next day
And the librarian left suddenly without the planned retirement do
And the library lights went off and remained off.
I felt the atmosphere of the hospital change
The door closed and the corridors quietened
Fewer staff; fewer visitors; nothing to laminate

One day the door opened: I was taken to Manchester Central – distanced security checks on each door
To an office in a makeshift hospital in what was a train station, turned gig venue, turned conference centre
To a mixture of staff, a team newly working together, built from multiple departments
The ongoing questions with no obvious long-term studied evidence to alleviate the puzzled faces of the previously confident and experienced

How long can the virus live on paper?
Will it help if we laminate posters?
Will the virus live on laminate?
How often should we clean the laminate?

I was needed for new signs to guide – learning and discovering together
The same forms of communication but new thoughts and vocabulary
About hand washing, cleaning, decontamination
Warnings to protect the patients, warnings to protect the staff
Familiar but new but everchanging – as every hospital always is
The joke about needing a NHS-dedicated dictionary continuing to be true
Pandemic – Coronavirus – Covid 19
Face masks; hot zones; lockdowns; testing; vaccines
The return to Trafford eventually came
And I was cleaned down
And plugged in again for use on everyday posters
And the staff returned, with new staff and students starting
And it became familiar again
But I often think of that time out – a time of change, and how I contributed