Hemel Hempstead Hospital
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Main block at Hemel Hempstead Hospital
Hemel Hempstead Hospital is located in Hertfordshire
Hemel Hempstead Hospital
Shown in Hertfordshire
Geography
LocationHemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
Coordinates51°45′03″N 0°28′15″W / 51.7508659°N 0.4707737°W / 51.7508659; -0.4707737
Organisation
Care systemNational Health Service
History
Opened1832
Links
Websitewww.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/about/hemelhempsteadhospital.asp

Hemel Hempstead Hospital is an acute District General Hospital in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire operated by the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

History

Cheere House, opened in 1832

The original hospital in Hemel Hempstead was established when Sir Astley Cooper converted a row of cottages at 130–136 Piccotts End to create an infirmary in 1827.[1] The medical team moved to larger premises, acquired with funding from Sir John Sebright, 7th Baronet, at Cheere House at the bottom of Hillfield Road in 1832.[1] The main block of the current hospital, then known as the West Hertfordshire Infirmary, was built further up Hillfield Road and was opened by Princess Mary of Teck in 1877.[1] The hospital expanded to take military patients during the First World War.[2]

The Marnham Maternity Wing, which was started in 1926 when a foundation stone was laid by the Prince of Wales just north of the main block, opened in 1929.[1] A children's ward was added in 1939 and another new block was opened by the Queen Mother in 1959.[2]

The Verulam Wing, at the south-east end of the site, was added in 1992,[3] the Jubilee Wing, just south of the main block, followed in 2002[4] and major enhancements consisting of an urgent care centre and a GP-led health centre were introduced within the Jubilee Wing in October 2008[5] and spring 2009 respectively.[6]

Services

Most departments are located in the Verulam Wing; however the urgent care centre and the health centre form part of the Jubilee Wing.[7]

Controversy

Large parts of the hospital site are currently mothballed and not actively used for healthcare provision, following the removal of the Accident & Emergency department in 2006.[8] The West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which operates the site and two others in Watford and St Albans, has announced plans to redevelop its properties and relocate key services to Watford General Hospital,[9] in effect further downgrading the status of the Hemel Hempstead Hospital. However, these plans have attracted criticism from local residents groups, such as the Dacorum Hospital Action Group, who favour a newly built hospital equidistant from the three major population centres and who have launched a judicial review of the Trust's plan.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Hemel Hempstead General Hospital (West Herts Wing), Hemel Hempstead". National Archives. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Hemel Hempstead General hospital's historical timeline from 1826 to 2014" (PDF). West Herts Hospitals. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Barrison, Ian (1 September 2010). "Reflections on Hemel and St Albans Hospitals" (PDF). On the Pulse. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "A Fortress of experience and character for humanity" (PDF). Motec Life. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "Urgent care centres are the way forward". Pulse Today. 11 March 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "GPs revolt against Hemel health centre". Hemel Today. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "Hemel Hempstead Hospital site map" (PDF). West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "A&E closure decision criticised". BBC News. 17 November 2006.
  9. ↑ "Building a Healthier Future for West Hertfordshire". West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "West Herts hospital campaigners reach fundraising target". Herts Advertiser. 27 November 2019.
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