Hillingdon Hospital is an
NHS
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 " ...
hospital in Pield Heath Road,
Hillingdon
Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civ ...
, Greater London. It is one of two hospitals run by the
Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the NHS trust responsible for the healthcare services provided at Hillingdon Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital in the London Borough of Hillingdon.
The trust is part of Imperial College Healt ...
, the other being
Mount Vernon Hospital
Mount Vernon Hospital is located in Northwood, an area of north-west Greater London. It is one of two hospitals run by The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The hospital was founded as The North London Hospital for Co ...
.
History
The hospitals has its origins in a workhouse infirmary built in 1838.
A separate female infirmary was not added until 1907.
[ The facility came under the management of ]Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.
The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the coun ...
in 1929 and the council started to develop the site in 1932.[ The works included replacing the wooden floors with concrete ones, the wooden ones being too weak to cope with the weight of an operating theatre table and equipment.
The hospital was damaged by bombs in October 1940, causing much damage. There were no casualties, and the hospital was moved to temporary accommodation. This proved to be unpopular, and following the ]war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, the number of beds in the hospital declined due to a lack of staff. The medical director of the time, Dr W. Arklay Steel, was concerned about the poor condition of the hospital. In 1948, when the hospital joined 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 " ...
, it consisted of a series of temporary buildings in varying states of disrepair.[Wingfield, p. 70] In 1957, it was agreed to rebuild Hillingdon Hospital and, in 1960, a new maternity wing was opened by the Duchess of Kent
Duchess of Kent is the principal courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Kent. There have been four titles referring to Kent since the 18th century. The current duchess is Katharine, the wife of Prince Edward. He inherited the dukedom ...
.
Sir Arnold France, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, opened the new Hillingdon Hospital on 10 January 1967. It had cost £3.2 million to build. It provided seven new wards, including the provision of some single rooms, outpatients department, imaging department, accident and emergency services, operating theatres and recovery suites, pathology laboratories, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and a canteen. A central vacuum system and piped oxygen were available throughout the hospital.
In December 2008, Bevan Ward was opened. This ward, named in honour of the founder of the NHS, Aneurin Bevan, consisted of three clusters of eight ensuite patient rooms. It was visited in April 2009 by Health Secretary Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chanc ...
, who was apparently struck by the high level of patient satisfaction. The newly refurbished Fleming Ward opened in November 2009.
An eye clinic at the hospital received an award in August 2010 from the Macular Disease Society for its work in macular degeneration
Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...
. An urgent care centre, for non-life threatening injuries, opened at the hospital in 2013.
Services
The hospital has a PALS PALS may refer to:
* Patient Advice and Liaison Service
* Pediatric Advanced Life Support
* Periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths
* Portraits of American Life Study
* Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy
* Pouch Attachment Ladder System
* Prag ...
office based on site and its own hospital radio station (Radio Hillingdon), staffed by volunteers.
Criticism
Hillingdon Hospital has received criticism over the years: in 2003, there was a case of post-mortem desecration of a body. Additionally, a high MRSA
Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of Gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of ''Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. ...
hospital infection rate was recorded; and several complaints regarding the expensive parking on site. Hygiene standards have been criticised on several occasions, achieving the dubious award of being fourth worst for hygiene in a survey from the Healthcare Commission.
Hillingdon Hospital is in a very poor state of repair. Children had to be moved out of the paediatric ward and paediatric outpatients units were closed because patient safety could not be guaranteed. The hospital needs to be completely rebuilt but there is disagreement over where the new hospital should be.
In September 2019, the Trust received a share, as one of 21 hospitals, of a £100 million fund to develop a business case for its redevelopment. A full redevelopment at its current site is expressed as its preferred option, and the trust is working to a timeline which would grant it approval for its business case and for construction to start in July 2022, and for construction to be completed in September 2025.
See also
* Healthcare in London
Healthcare in London, which consumes about a fifth of the NHS budget in England, is in many respects distinct from that in the rest of the United Kingdom, or England.
History Early history
The earliest state hospitals in the UK were set up in ...
* List of hospitals in England
The following is a list of hospitals in England. For NHS trusts, see the list of NHS Trusts.
East Midlands
* Arnold Lodge, Leicestershire
* Babington Hospital – Belper, Derbyshire
*Bassetlaw District General Hospital – Worksop, Nottingha ...
References
Sources
*
External links
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Radio Hillingdon
Buses from Hillingdon Hospital
{{authority control
Residential buildings completed in 1747
Hospital buildings completed in 1967
Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Hillingdon
NHS hospitals in London
Health in the London Borough of Hillingdon
Hospitals in Middlesex