The Calvary Wakefield Hospital, formerly Private Hospital, Wakefield Street (PHWS) and variants, Wakefield Street Private Hospital, Wakefield Memorial Hospital and Wakefield Hospital, referred to informally as "the Wakefield", was a
private hospital
A private hospital is a hospital not owned by the government, including for-profits and non-profits. Funding is by patients themselves ("self-pay"), by insurers, or by foreign embassies. Private hospitals are commonly part, albeit in varying degr ...
founded in 1883 or 1884 on
Wakefield Street
Wakefield Street is a main thoroughfare intersecting Adelaide city centre, the centre of the South Australian capital, Adelaide, from east to west at its midpoint. It crosses Victoria Square, Adelaide, Victoria Square in the centre of the city, ...
in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. In 1935, the hospital occupied new, purpose-built premises on the corner of Wakefield and
Hutt Street
Hutt Street is the easternmost of the five major north–south roads running through the City of Adelaide. It runs from Pirie Street to South Terrace, from where it continues south as Hutt Road. Flanked by leafy side streets with many late 19th ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
not-for-profit organisation. In 2020 it was vacated, being replaced by a newly constructed facility, the
Calvary Adelaide Hospital
Calvary Adelaide Hospital is a private hospital on Angas Street in the central business district of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, that opened in 2020, taking over and expanding the services of Calvary Wakefield Hospital and Calvary R ...
. The hospital provided
acute care
Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery.Alberta Health ServicesAcute care.Acces ...
orthopaedic
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...
, and
neurosurgical
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...
services to patients. It specialised in
cardiac
The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to t ...
care, and was the only private 24/7
accident and emergency
An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the Acute (medicine), ...
unit in the city. It employed 600 staff.
Beginnings
The Wakefield was one of the first private hospitals in Adelaide, operating from about 1883 or 1884 after being opened by Mrs Gardner, a widow with three young children. Two doctors, Drs
Edward Willis Way
Dr. Edward Willis Way (1847 – 28 September 1901), frequently written as "E. Willis Way", was a noted medical doctor and surgeon in the early days of the colony of South Australia.
Early life and education
Way was a son of Rev. James Way of th ...
and William Gardner (unknown relationship to her husband), employed her at their rooms on North Terrace and at patients' homes, after being impressed by her aptitude for nursing when caring for her ill husband before his death. Dr Gardner asked her to set up a hospital to nurse some of their patients, at a
double storey
A storey (British English) or story (American English) is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the word are ''storeys'' (UK) and ''stories'' (US).
Th ...
house, formerly owned by the Sunter family, on Wakefield Street. Way, Gardner and
Anstey Giles
William Anstey Giles (29 June 1860 – 7 May 1944), generally known as Anstey Giles, was a surgeon and medical administrator in Adelaide, South Australia.
Early life and education
Giles was born in Adelaide on 29 June 1860, the eldest son of Thom ...
sent patients to the hospital, and the first operation to remove a
larynx
The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...
in South Australia was performed there. The hospital could accommodate 14 patients. Mrs Gardner was
matron
Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies.
Etymology
The chief nurse, in other words the person ...
, and she employed two nurses (including Seely, Greenwood, Mundy and Saltmarsh over the years) and domestic staff. Mrs Gardner became Mrs Duncan when she married Horace Duncan, some time before 1885. There are mentions in contemporary newspapers of "Mrs H. E. Duncan's Private Hospital, Wakefield Street" and Mrs Duncan at "Private Hospital, Wakefield Street" from early 1885, in 1886, and an advertisement about a lost dog refers to H. Duncan at Private Hospital, Wakefield Street in February 1888.
Alice Tibbits
Alice Tibbits (1854–1932) was a South Australian nursing pioneer who was matron and owner of the Private Hospital, Wakefield Street in the 1880s. She was one of the first to train nurses in Australia and was known as the "Florence Nightingale of ...
(1854–1932), regarded as a pioneer of
nursing
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
, took over the hospital in 1888 when Mrs Duncan was forced to retire owing to poor health. Tibbits was born in
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
,
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
, England, in 1854, and started her nursing career in 1879 at the
Adelaide Children's Hospital
The Women's and Children's Hospital is located on King William Road in North Adelaide, Australia.
It is one of the major hospitals in Adelaide and is a teaching hospital of the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia and Flin ...
, where she was the first to receive a certificate of training from the hospital in 1881. After completing her training in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and a further six months' of
midwifery
Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...
at a
nursing home
A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...
in London in 1884, she returned to Adelaide to work at for Dr William Gardner, who requested that she become matron of the PHWS. Tibbits was responsible for doubling the number of beds to 30, after acquiring two cottages in Ifould Street at the rear of the hospital and had another double-storey house built on the eastern side of the hospital in Wakefield Street, which she named "Hatherton", after her home in Staffordshire, a name it retained so long as it was a hospital. The hospital underwent enormous progress under Tibbits, and in November 1938 a brass
commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...
was erected by the Wakefield Street Private Hospital Trained Nurses' Association in the hospital reception area in her memory. Under Tibbits, the hospital became the first training hospital for nurses in the
colony
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...
and (from 1901) state of South Australia. Her tenure as the first matron of the hospital came to an end in 1903.
Apart from Drs Gardner, Way and Giles, other doctors associated with the hospital under Tibbits included
Joseph Verco
Sir Joseph Cooke Verco (1 August 1851 – 26 July 1933) was an Australian physician and conchologist.
Early years
Verco, born at Fullarton, South Australia, was a son of James Crabb Verco. Both his parents came from Cornwall, UK. He was ed ...
and Charles Edward Todd, who was the eldest son of pioneer Charles Todd, and who was President of the
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
n branch of the
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association's headquar ...
1901–1902.
20th century
Kate Hill (1859–1933) was head nurse at PHWS for around two years from 1889, before returning to her previous employer, the Adelaide Children's Hospital. In 1902 she was taken on as a partner at Wakefield, and after Tibbits' retirement in 1903 acquired the hospital. Hill sold the hospital to Sophy Laurence, who had trained under her, in 1913. At this time, there were five hospital buildings and four cottages for staff. Drs Verco, Todd and others continued at the hospital under Hill.
Laurence bought the goodwill of PHWS from Hill in 1913 and remained matron until 1926. During this time she made many further improvements, including changing from
gas lighting
Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directl ...
to
electric lighting
An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...
. She enlarged the hospital, buying three more cottages as well as the Adelaide College of Music Hall, which (being the quietest place) became the night nurses' sleeping quarters. Former trainee and theatre sister of Laurence, Miss M.R. Rowe, purchased the hospital from her.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the hospital employed
private duty nurses
''Private Duty Nurses'' is a 1971 American film written and directed by George Armitage. It is a sequel to '' The Student Nurses'' (1970) for New World Pictures. Roger Corman says they got the idea for the title after being sent a letter of compla ...
and allowed them to stay at the hospital while building their networks.
New building (1934)
Rowe established the company Wakefield Street Private Hospital Ltd, which bought the site at the corner of Wakefield and Hutt Streets, formerly the home of Dr Neische. It was reported in July 1933 that the building, then a guest house and boarding house called Carnarvon Mansions, had been purchased and was going to be demolished to make way for a 50-bed hospital. Designed by Messrs McMichael & Harris (
Eric McMichael
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
), it would include an operating theatre, accommodation for staff, central heating, and "all the latest scientific appliances", for which Sister Rowe would be reviewing equipment in hospitals in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. The new hospital, which was completed in June 1934, was opened on 5 July 1934 by Sir David Gordon, president of the
Legislative Council of South Australia
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly. It sits in Parli ...
and chairman of the hospital board. Its cost was £31,000, of which £12,000 was in the form of a loan. The staff comprised 8 sisters, 27 nurses and probationers, and 16 domestic staff, all under Rowe.
Within the first 10 months of its operation, the company had already made a net profit of £1,164. The Private Hospital Wakefield Street Nurses' Association was founded in September 1935, with Miss E. Wark, the first ever probationer at the hospital, appointed as president. The hospital continued to be highly successful, and lucrative for its shareholders.
Sale (1949)
However, after World War Two at the end of the 1940s, costs rose and despite increased revenue, profits dropped, leading to its being put up for sale. By then described as a 57-bed hospital, the Women's Auxiliary of the
Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...
, owned by the state government, expressed an interest in purchasing it, but the directors of the hospital recommended to their shareholders instead to accept an offer made by a group of doctors associated with the hospital, as they wanted it to remain in private hands. On 18 August 1949 over 80% of shareholders sold their shares to the 105 doctors involved.
1950s–2000
The hospital was damaged in the 1954 Adelaide earthquake.
The hospital was known as the Wakefield Memorial Hospital from sometime during the 1960s onwards, and was referred to by this name as late as 1993. In 1984 and during election years until 1993, the Wakefield Memorial Hospital was assigned by the
Commonwealth Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...
as a site for registering votes in federal elections.
21st century
From 2001 until its acquisition in 2006 the hospital, by then with a 172-bed capacity, was owned by
Ramsay Health Care
Ramsay Health Care Limited is an Australian multinational healthcare provider and hospital network, founded by Paul Ramsay in Sydney, Australia, in 1964. The company operates in Australia, Europe, the UK, and Asia, specialising in surgery, rehab ...
and called Wakefield Hospital.
The new owners were Little Company of Mary (LCM) Health Care (also known as Calvary Health Care), overseen by the international religious institute
Sisters of the Little Company of Mary
The Little Company of Mary is a Roman Catholic religious institute of women (also referred to as the Blue Sisters) dedicated to caring for the suffering, the sick and the dying. The order was founded in 1877 in Nottingham, England by Venerable Mar ...
. After the acquisition, the hospital was renamed Calvary Wakefield Hospital.
The hospital was superseded in 2020 by the 344-bed
Calvary Adelaide Hospital
Calvary Adelaide Hospital is a private hospital on Angas Street in the central business district of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, that opened in 2020, taking over and expanding the services of Calvary Wakefield Hospital and Calvary R ...
, newly built at 120
Angas Street
Angas Street is a main street in the Adelaide city centre, South Australia.Map of the