Drinks machine at Richmond Library, NGH

The drinks machine at Richmond Library, Northampton General Hospital, will not be available over the Bank Holiday weekend. Library members who are intending to use the library should bring their own drinks. The machine has been dripping water and we didn't want another library flooded!

Easter opening

All the Libraries will be unstaffed on Friday the 30th of March and Monday the 2nd of April for the Easter holiday.



24 hour access will be available as usual to registered members over the Easter period via our swipe card system at the Berrywood and Richmond Libraries.

Isebrook Library will be closed over the bank holiday.

We reopen as normal on Tuesday the 3rd at all of our sites.

Isebrook Library re-opening Monday 26th March

Isebrook Library will be re-opening on Monday 26th March. We are still waiting on repairs being done after the water pipe burst so there are some carpet tiles missing but all our stock and computers are available for use. Until the pipe has been repaired there will be no water in the Library so visitors will have to use the toilets elsewhere in the hospital. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Isebrook Library closure update

The library is now dried out, but we are still waiting on the repairs to completed.

This means we know the library will remain closed until at least Friday the 23rd of March.

We will update you when have a definitive date.

Apologies or the ongoing inconvenience. 

WiFi at the Richmond Library

We have been trialing the use of (free) WiFi at the Richmond Library (many of our regular visitors have been making use of it for some time).

Users can now bring any device into the Library and connect to the guest WiFi. Access is free but does require you to enter your email address.

NHFT staff can also now connect their Trust device to the corporate WiFi and work remotely.

This means we are now able to offer both corporate and public WiFi access at all the library sites...

Mental health & learning disability student open day Saturday March 10th

Northamptonshire Healthcare are holding a recruitment day on Saturday the 10th of March between 10 am and 2 pm at Berrywood Hospital for mental health and learning disability students.

The library at Berrywood Hospital will be open for the duration of the event and library staff will be available to talk about the role the service plays in supporting learning and nurses in practice.

This will mean it is noisier than usual at Berrywood Library for our regular users and those wanting a quiet place to work might be better off going to the Richmond Library at Northampton General Hospital.

For more information, including how to register for the event see the Northamptonshire Healthcare web site.

Isebrook Library closed due to flooding

Isebrook Library will be closed for at least the next week and possibly longer. We had a water pipe burst which has caused a flood in the Library.

We will have to wait for the everything to dry out and at least some of the flooring will have to be replaced.

On a brighter note, we were fortunate in that none of the stock appears to have been damaged.

As soon as we have more information on when we are likely to reopen we will let everyone know.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

Web site of the month: QNI Heritage

In the early stages of her training, a trainee District Nurse (left) injects a diabetes-sufferer with insulin during a home visit. She is accompanied by a Sister (right), on her first rounds. The original caption states that "whilst they are with the patient the sister says nothing, but afterwards she gives nurse her criticism of the way she has handled the case".

Launched by the Queen's Nursing Institute, the QNI Heritage site explores the history of nursing in the community since 1859 when the very first district nurse was employed in England.

The site contains a large gallery of photos, audio files and films (dating from the 1930s to the 1970s), as well as a section of stories and articles revealing the experiences and lives of district nurses.

There are even a selection of "invalid recipes" and "ration recipes" (fricassee of tripe anyone?) taken from the pages of the Queen's Nurses' Magazine, as well as exam questions (from 1914-18 and 1948-58) with answers that give an interesting incite into the medical knowledge of the day.

The QNI Heritage site offers a fascinating look at the history of community nursing since its inception and with such a broad variety of content it is well worth a look.