For quite a few years the former “Hayway Clinic” had stood empty, and sadly looking quite forlorn, following its closure in 2011.

Who can ever forget the sight of all the staff at the Hayway, and we could always see Sister Marian Pinnell, as we used to trudge up and down the stairs. The premises always had that “medical aroma” that some folk just can’t ever get out of their nostrils.

If I remember correctly, Marian was a former Rushden Carnival Queen, in the early 1970s. She also put so much hard work in to helping the carnivals queens, and their consorts over the years that followed.

Marian also went on to be a town councillor, representing Rushden East for the Conservatives.

The Memorial to mark the fallen, lost in the Second World War was on the ground floor. It is now safely homed in Rushden Hall.

The Clinic opened way back, on October 2 1950, and took over the site of what had been Rushden Memorial Hospital. The £1,500 needed to buy the property was raised by taking a penny a week from the wages of the town's factory workers.

But alas this iconic facility was on the move to Nene Park, the building of which would cost over £4 million. The Hayway Clinic had been put on the market for just over £400,000.

Looking at the number of patient visits, footfall was predicted to be roughly five times higher than those attending any clinics etc at the Hayway.

The idea of patients and staff not having to make a trip over to Kettering General Hospital, (KGH), for some procedures was also seen as a big plus, with 32,000 less visits to KGH.

Services at Nene Park include an X-ray department, ultrasound, audiology, cardiology, ophthalmology, a minor procedures room, and the busy phlebotomy department, with everyone taking a number from the ticket machine to await their turn for a blood sample. This service was still possible at the Rectory Road Clinic during 2020 whilst this article was written.

During 2020 the Covid 19 pandemic has affected the world, and services at Nene Park were under severe pressure for blood tests etc. At times there were pretty long queues of patients waiting outside in all weather conditions, with numerous people complaining to our conservative MP Mr Peter Bone about this situation. So some good did come out of the complaints, and Mr Bone did get things moving in the right direction.

And in 2021 an appointment system was introduced to relieve the wait to enter the building. As far as I am aware patients with acute health problems did not have to wait outside, and were allowed a trouble-free entrance.

At the back end of the summer of 2020, work was seen to be going on at the front of the Hayway site. With the aim of providing 14 high class apartments, this was being carried out by “Wilby Homes” who did the work at the former print works of “Hunt’s the Printers” in Station Road in the summer of 2019.

On the subject of health and hospitals, currently there is talk of Kettering General Hospital, (KGH), leaving Rothwell Road in Kettering, and possibly going to a site to the North of Isham. This is because much of the hospital estate is more than 100 years old and most buildings are no longer fit for purpose.