iris turner / appliance officer / marie celeste samaritan society

Iris Turner is an Appliance Officer working at the Royal London through The Marie Celeste Samaritan Society. The Society’s stated aim is to ‘provide and administer such relief and aid for patients who have been discharged from The Royal London Hospital as does not fall within the scope of the National Health Service’. In simple terms this ranges from assistance with transport, the provision of grants to those in need, clothing and the supply of ‘appliances’ such as wigs or spectacles. The Society was founded in 1791 and named after the wife of its chief benefactor – James Hora. The Society’s office is a small, busy space and while there we met Iris Turner and her colleague Dennis Leader – an assistant accountant. It quickly became clear that the organisation provides vital assistance to some of the hospitals most vulnerable patients – mediated by social workers. “You would be surprised how many people, and not just old people, have no one.  In this case we can provide some money for a social worker to buy some toiletries or a cab home”.

In addition to deploying the Society’s resources Iris has also helped patients to choose and fit wigs for over 30 years. Most are alopecia patients (the service did include oncology patients until the unit mover to Barts).

“The wigs have changed a lot over the last 20 years, they used to be made of real hair and were difficult to maintain, and each patient was allowed one wig every few years. Imagine having the same haircut for years.  Now they are synthetic and very breathable and each patient can choose two a year”.

As we set up the equipment Iris takes me through the wig catalogue and I am delighted at the vast range of wig colours and styles.  In the centre of the catalogue is a signature range of wigs by Raquel Welch.