The Duchess of York Hospital was a children's hospital in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

History

The facility opened as the Manchester Babies Hospital on 4 August 1914.

Catherine Chisholm Catherine Chisholm (2 January 1878 – 21 July 1952) was a British physician and the first female medical graduate of the University of Manchester. She was instrumental in founding the Manchester Babies Hospital, which was opened on 4 August ...

was instrumental in establishing the hospital and was one of the first consultants there. The hospital was created as a small facility with 12 beds, aimed at providing specialist care for the "...more effective treatment of babies and very young children suffering from diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders." It was based on the model of the London Infants Hospital but, as with the Clapham Maternity Hospital, all the doctors were female. In 1919, the hospital moved to Cringle Hall in

Burnage Burnage is a suburb of the city of Manchester in North West England, about south of Manchester city centre and bisected by the dual carriageway of Kingsway. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the population of the Bur ...

, having previously been in

Levenshulme Levenshulme () is an area of Manchester, England, bordering Fallowfield, Longsight, Gorton, Burnage, Heaton Chapel and Reddish; it is approximately halfway between Stockport and Manchester city centre on the A6. Levenshulme is predominantly re ...

and

Chorlton-on-Medlock Chorlton-on-Medlock or Chorlton-upon-Medlock is an inner city area of Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, Chorlton-on-Medlock is bordered to the north by the River Medlock, which runs immediately south of Manchester city centre. It ...

. It then had 50 beds; the number of patients increased from 82 in the first year to 430 in 1929. After the building of a new pavilion on the open-air principle with glass wards specially designed for the treatment of

rickets Rickets is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children, and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications may ...

in 1925, the number of cots rose to 80. In June 1935, a new hospital wing with much improved surgical facilities was opened by the

Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of ...

. The whole facility was renamed the Duchess of York Hospital for Babies. Until the creation of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

in 1948, the hospital was supported by the

Corporation of Manchester Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester is the sixth largest city in England by population. Its city council is composed of 96 councillors, three ...

and by voluntary contributions. It was renamed the Duchess of York Hospital in 1981 and, after it closed in 1986, a new Duchess of York ward was opened in

Withington Hospital Withington Community Hospital is a hospital in south Manchester, England, managed by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. History Originally known as the Chorlton Barlow Moor Work House, the hospital was purpose-built in 1854–55 as ...

.''The Book of Manchester and Salford''. Manchester: George Falkner & Sons, 1929; pp. 135–36

References

{{authority control Children's hospitals in the United Kingdom Hospital buildings completed in 1914 1914 establishments in England 1986 disestablishments in England Defunct hospitals in England Voluntary hospitals Defunct hospitals in Manchester