Asylum Years : Back To The Future? by Robert Hayward & Andrew Heenan BLOG TOUR #AsylumYears @FAB_publishing @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

At the core of this book is a series of 50- year-old recollections from people who worked in a mental hospital. 

From diverse sources, this collection forms probably the last written history of people who experienced institutional life as that generation grows old and passes away. 

It portrays the people in the institution, the patients (the Forgotten) and staff (the Custodians), in a more balanced, rounded and human

 manner than many accounts hitherto.

 There is some historical detail that will provide context and understandings into the workings of a real institution, the people who worked at grass roots and those that managed it, but also insights into the wider policies and politics of the time, including an official Inquiry into maltreatment and mismanagement of a mental hospital.

 The stories at the heart of this collection reveal the human cost of the policies employed and raises some key philosophical questions. 

The final section of the book examines the closure of the

 asylum, linking the legacy of the institution to present day policy-making and the questions

 that this raises.

Asylum Years: Back To The Future? by Robert Hayward and Andrew Heenan was published on 31 March 2025 by Free Association Books. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour. 

I have been fascinated by institutional life for years. Whether that's people who have chosen a particular way of life; for example, cult members, or those who have been locked up because of something they've done. 

I grew up in the shadow of Rampton Hospital. Rampton is sister hospital to the more well-known Broadmoor and Ashworth and sits in a small, sleepy village in the heart of rural Nottinghamshire. When I opened my bedroom curtains, I saw the imposing buildings of the hospital. Many of my family members worked at Rampton, I worked there myself, as a Ward Clerk for almost ten years. Locally, it was known as 'the asylum'.

In this book, the authors Robert Hayward and Andrew Heenan write candidly about their time spent as nurses at St Augustine's Hospital. It is not just their stories though, there's input from a wide range of people; other staff members and also from those who were patients in the hospital. 

It's a book that is perfect for dipping in and out of. At times it can be emotionally challenging as the reader hears about some things that are quite disturbing. It is also, at times, very poignant. We learn that not all of the staff have the patient's best interests at heart, and to be quite honest, that is not surprising at all. 

This book is of great historical importance. Detailing how asylums were run, how people were admitted and some of the reasons given is eye opening and often horrifying.  Fascinating reading and a well put together book that shines a light on past practices. 

 Robert Hayward trained as a nurse at St. Augustine’s Hospital. 

He later became an NGO training and development consultant in mental health working extensively in Central and Eastern Europe.

 

Andrew Heenan qualified as an RMN at St. Augustine’s Hospital in 1975 and graduated from the University of Kent in 1983. 

He had a career in nursing and journalism, including Clinical Editor of Nursing Times , TV documentary work and as a Trustee of a mental health charity.