Shortly after the Great War, Dr.David Allison replaced Dr Hayworth and built
a splendid new house on the developing outskirts of Filey, Belle Vue Crescent.
This has now become the Vicarage. Dr Allison developed an interest in what is
now called Internal Medicine, sitting the specialist exam the MRCP, and
eventually joining the Army in 1949 as a Consultant Physician, subsequently
practising in Manchester. His younger brother Philip was a Chest Surgeon in
Leeds, performing some of the first removals of the oesophagus in the country,
and subsequently was appointed Professor of Surgery in Oxford.
Dr. Edward W Vincent replaced Dr Butler-Simpson in 1926, living in Mitford
House until 1968. He was absent on active service in the Army from 1940, till he
was invalided back to Filey with a duodenal ulcer in 1944. He took on an
assistant, Dr Michael Whiting at the end of hostilities, but he left after less
than a year.
Dr Bill Richardson - real name Dunsford Leaf- joined the Practice in 1946
after 41/2 years in the Navy. He'd then worked for 6 months as a Registrar LMH
& Woodend(?) Hospital in Leeds. He shared Consulting Rooms at what is now
the Vicarage & Mitford House; Belle Vue Crescent was small but modern,
although there wasn't an examination couch; Mitford House he remembers as very
old-fashioned, also couchless, though there was a full set of equipment for
opening skulls.
Reception and nursing staff were none; the wives helped, assisted by domestic
maids, who were both profoundly deaf. The doctors did all their dispensing, kept
their records and accounts, sent out all their bills in the pre NHS days and had
to act as their own debt collectors!
District Nursing was run by the Filey district nursing Committee, who was
also the Midwife. A District Health Nurse still managed to achieve a 96%
vaccination rate!
Dr Alec Dibb was Filey Medical Officer of Health, but passed that on to Dr
Richardson shortly after his arrival in 1946. At this time, the practice was
appointed (refusal wasn't allowed) to the Poor Law. For £5 a half year, the
practice had to supply drugs to a bout 350 so - called destitute people.
Filey had an ambulance, subscribed by the people of Filey, and run by St
John. Mary Wyvill was the driver, as well as various Welburn family members.
The first Filey Central Surgery was started in 1952 and was commissioned in
1954- one of two in Yorkshire which were the first in the country under the
Atlee Government. Along with the Surgery came the innovation of employing a
secretary, as well as having a central telephone which could be routed through
to the Duty Doctor. Each of the doctors had voice pipes which ran from their
front doors to their bed side, but still 80% of calls came via knocks on the
front door at home.
The doctors worked in Filey and also in Scarborough Nursing Homes, including
the recently closed Belvedere, run by the owner, a midwife called Mrs Thompson.
At the Deepdale Nursing Home, confinement was 10 Guineas. Care of the mother &
baby cost £6
He recalls a midwife called Whetton who, despite constantly smoking, was an
excellent midwife. The practice did it's Midwifery at the old Lloyd Hospital in
Bridlington. If an anaesthetic was needed for a forceps delivery or perineal
repair, a second partner had to be called from the Surgery in Filey.
The practice was granted the right to a
practice in 1954
We had a strict rule with Dr Roddy Campbell in Hunmanby.
Filey had a great deal of work looking after the holidaymakers. Filey Tummy
(D&V) spoiled many a seaside holiday. This was blamed on Filey water and sea
bathing in dilute sewage. Dr Richardson carried out a research programme on this
from 1957 to 1960, but failed to identify any significant organism in 300 cases.
He showed that the disease was spread by case to case airborne spread.
Drs Vincent & Dibb were both very interested in music, performing in many
concerts in Scarborough and Bridlington.
Dr Richardson remembers Dr Vincent as a very "kind and nice man".
At that time, the Filey list was 5,200. In the summer, Butlins added 12,000
and another 14,000 in the other camps from Reighton to Cayton.
and
<<<< Dr Tom Hayworth practised from their homes
in Filey. Dr Butler-Simpson lived at Mitford House, on Mitford Street, named
after the local land-owners, the Mitford family of Hunmanby Hall, who produced
Nancy. Dr Hayworth practised from Rutland House in Rutland Street.