Interviews on the subject of Barbara Robb and Aid for the Elderly in Government Institutions (AEGIS)

Digital files.

Oral history interviews: recordings, transcripts and permissions made by Clair Hilton on the subjects of Barbara Robb and AEGIS.

People interviewed:

Anne Robinson, journalist who worked with Barbara Robb MP3 - about Barbra and the South Ockendon Inquiry

Ann Shearer, journalist who worked with Barbara Robb MP3 - about her own journalism career, scandals at Harperbury, her subsequent work on learning disability in the 1970s and involvement with the Davies Committee in 1970s into NHS complaints procedures

Dr David Enoch, psychiatrist who contributed to Sans Everything: A case to Answer (Robb, 1967) WAV Personal memories of Barbara, his own story and work in Shelton Psychiatric Hospital in 1960s.

Dr Malcolm Campbell, neurologist who was working at Friern Hospital in 1965, the time and place where the scandal began to emerge. MP3 - We worked for 6 months at Friern (Psychiatric) Hospital c.1965. A snapshot of his experiences there at the time.

2017

Interviews made in the course of research by Claire Hilton for her book, 'Improving psychiatric care for older people: Barbara Robb's campaign, 1965-1975'(Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) .

Barbara Robb, 1912 - 1976. British psychotherapist, campaigner for the well-being of older people, founder of pressure group AEGIS (Aid for the Elderly in Government Institutions), author of 'Sans Everything: A Case to Answer'.

Robb founded AEGIS after witnessing inadequate and inhumane treatment of one of her former patients, and other elderly women, during a visit to Friern Hospital. AEGIS campaigned to improve the care of older people in long-stay wards of National Health Service (NHS) psychiatric hospitals.

In 1967, Robb compiled 'Sans Everything: A Case to Answer', detailing the inadequacies of care provided for older people. Her campaigns led to revealing of other instances of ill treatment which were accepted and prompted the government to implement NHS policy changes.

Claire Hilton: Former NHS psychiatrist for older people. Currently, historian of modern psychiatric practice, policy & organisation.

This collection is currently uncatalogued and cannot be ordered online. Requests to view uncatalogued material are considered on a case by case basis. Please contact collections@wellcomecollection.org for more details.

Transferred to Wellcome by Claire Hilton in 2018.