St Ebba's Hospital formerly Ewell Epileptic Colony (1904–1918) and later Ewell Mental Hospital (1927–1938) is a mental handicap and former

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

near

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

in the county of Surrey, England.

History

Construction

St. Ebba's was the third hospital to be built within the

Epsom Cluster The Epsom Cluster, also referred to as the Horton Estate, was a cluster or group of five large psychiatric hospitals situated on land to the west of Epsom. The hospitals were built by the London County Council to alleviate pressure on London's e ...

, opening in 1904. The colony was designed for the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

by William C. Clifford Smith and constructed at a cost of £98,000 to house a total of 326

epileptic Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

patients, 60 of whom were female. The hospital consisted of eight free-standing villas housing 38 patients each centred on a central block containing administrative offices, a recreation hall and other hospital services as well as a 32-bed admission ward for female patients.

Epileptic colony

In the hospital's first year 315 patients were admitted, 25% of whom had attempted suicide at one time. Nearly 50% were regarded as of faulty heredity. A well-defined history of head injury or severe falls was found in 14% and a further 14% had

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of Artery, arteries. This process gradually restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues and can lead to severe health risks brought on by atherosclerosis ...

. Patients received regular treatment including doses of bromide of strontium and a specially regulated diet. By the end of the year 17 of the 315 patients had died. In 1918 the hospital became the Ewell War Hospital for treating

neurasthenic Neurasthenia (from the Ancient Greek νεῦρον ''neuron'' "nerve" and ἀσθενής ''asthenés'' "weak") is a term that was first used at least as early as 1829 for a mechanical weakness of the nerves and became a major diagnosis in North A ...

ex-servicemen returning from the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, administered by the

Ministry of Pensions Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

Psychiatric hospital

In 1927 the hospital was returned to the LCC for use as a mental hospital. It was renamed the Ewell Mental Hospital and under the

Mental Treatment Act 1930 The Mental Treatment Act 1930 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom permitting voluntary admission to, and outpatient treatment within, psychiatric hospitals. It also replaced the term "asylum" with "mental hospital". It was repealed ...

, became one of the first ever voluntary admission public mental hospitals. The LCC made special provision for patients with acute or recent illnesses to be admitted on a voluntary basis for no more than two years before being transferred elsewhere. Medical students from various London teaching hospitals attended the hospital on rotation, while consultant staff from the hospital held out-patient clinics in London. The Hospital also established a working relationship with nearby

HMP Wandsworth HM Prison Wandsworth is a Category B men's prison at Wandsworth in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South West London, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service and is one of the largest prisons in the UK. History The prison w ...

, providing treatment to prisoners with mental health problems when necessary. Between 1935 and 1938 the hospital was expanded to provide 933 beds and in 1938 it was renamed St. Ebba's Hospital. By the late 1940s, some 95–97% of patients at the hospital had been admitted voluntarily and in 1948 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 " ...

as part of the South West Metropolitan Regional Board. Unlike the other hospitals in the Epsom Cluster, patients continued to be admitted from all of the London Metropolitan Regions, except for the North West. In 1949 an adolescent unit was established for patients aged between 12–17 years and at the same time an

occupational therapy Occupational therapy (OT) is a global healthcare profession. It involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or ''occupations'', of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of ...

department opened: Able-bodied patients worked in the laundry and workshops, while those too ill to leave the wards practised handicrafts. Patients could also attend discussion groups and classes in music appreciation, art, drama, dancing and dress-making or produce plays, make use of the social club or even contribute to 'Trees' the hospital's own weekly magazine.

Mental handicap hospital

In 1962, the hospital changed use to cater for mentally subnormal patients. Most of the psychiatric patients were sent to hospitals nearer their homes and the wards were renovated to provide 470 beds: 183 for the mentally ill and 287 for the mentally retarded. Later the remaining psychiatric patients were transferred to other hospitals and the Adolescent Unit moved to Long Grove Hospital. In 1969 an Industrial Training Unit opened in one of the villas which provided training in skills and handicrafts for 200 patients. A cement products factory opened in 1971 which employed patients to produce paving slabs in a variety of sizes and colours. By 1979 St. Ebba's Hospital had 629 beds, making it the largest hospital for the mentally handicapped in the district.

Decline and redevelopment

By 1987 patient numbers were declining and a Parents and Relatives Group was formed to campaign for the retention of the site as a village for people with learning disabilities. By 1995 the Hospital had 484 beds and patients were being rehoused in community homes. In 2004 work began to convert and upgrade some of the old buildings for 55 long-stay handicapped patients. In 2008 a purpose-built Therapy Suite with a new

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

pool was opened by the Mayor of Epsom and Ewell. As of 2011, most of the hospital buildings were being redeveloped with only a small number of patients remaining on site.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Ebba's Hospital Psychiatric hospitals in England Hospitals in Surrey Epsom Hospital buildings completed in 1904 Hospitals established in 1904 1904 establishments in England NHS hospitals in England