As the next part of her training, Ashford went to work in a hospital, helping in a children's ward. She soon found out that a hands-on approach to taking care of the patients was not encouraged. "While [the hospital staff] may have been world-class in their diagnosis, treatment, and medical care – not to mention exacting in their standards of cleanliness, hygiene, and ward discipline – they were a little short on basic love, affection, and touch," she wrote. "From day one I was told 'not to befriend' the children or give them 'cuddles.' It was utterly bewildering and, for a naturally tactile person like me, heartbreaking. When you see a sick little child crying instinct tells you to cuddle him, doesn't it? In Great Ormond Street this was forbidden."
