Victoria Hospital is a large hospital situated to the north of the town centre in
Kirkcaldy, in
Fife, Scotland. As one of two main hospitals in Fife, this serves both the town and surrounding Mid-Fife area. It is managed by
NHS Fife
NHS Fife is an NHS board which provides healthcare services in Fife, Scotland. It is one of the fourteen regions of NHS Scotland.
Hospitals
The board runs two main hospitals:
* Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy
* Queen Margaret Hospital in D ...
.
History
The original hospital in the town was a
cottage hospital A cottage hospital is a semi-obsolete type of small hospital, most commonly found in the United Kingdom.
The original concept was a small rural building having several beds.The Cottage Hospitals 1859–1990, Dr. Meyrick Emrys-Roberts, Tern Publicati ...
which was situated to the east of the town and which opened in 1890.
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, there was demand for a more centralised and bigger hospital to be built in the town to be able to deal with the strains caused by a burgeoning population.
The original site proposed for the new hospital was that occupied by the cottage hospital, but a lack of space for the expansion caused the plans to be abandoned.
[Eunson ''Old Dysart and East Kirkcaldy'' p.28.] A site was eventually chosen around the local
sanatorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
and fever hospital.
[Eunson ''Bygone Kirkcaldy'' p.50.] Construction of the new Victoria Hospital began in 1955 and was completed in 1967.
The hospital was threatened with the possible loss of its
accident and emergency department
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 care of pati ...
in 2005. These services were to be moved to
Queen Margaret Hospital
Queen Margaret Hospital is a hospital located in the town of Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Fife.
History
The hospital was commissioned to replace the Milesmark Hospital, the Dunfermline and West Fife District Hospital ...
in
Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...
but the proposal was withdrawn after severe criticism.
A major new wing to the south of the current tower block was procured under a
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating "public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 199 ...
contract in 2009. The new wing included 500 beds together with eleven operating theatres and a new accident and emergency department. The area surrounding the hospital was altered to include signal controlled junctions, a new mini-roundabout and new car parking spaces at both the north and south ends of the hospital.
The works, which were designed by the
Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership Ltd, doing business as BDP, is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 900 staff in the United Kingdom and internationally.
History
BDP was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell-Baines with architects Bill White ...
and undertaken by
Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty plc () is an international infrastructure group based in the United Kingdom with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments. A constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, Balfour Beatty works ac ...
at a cost of £170 million, were completed in summer 2012.
The new wing was officially opened in August 2012 by
Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position. She has been a member of ...
, although services had transferred to the new wing in three separate phases. Initially several services based on the Victoria site had relocated there in December 2011. Services then transferred across from Forth Park Hospital, Kirkcaldy, in January 2012, followed in the same month by a number of services from Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline. From January 2012, all of Fife's accident and emergency services were located at the Victoria Hospital.
Services
The hospital consists of three wings: East, West and South and a main tower block. An adjacent
Maggie's Centre
Maggie's centres are a network of drop-in centres across the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, which aim to help anyone who has been affected by cancer. They are not intended as a replacement for conventional cancer therapy, but as a caring enviro ...
is also located within the grounds. In 2012 a new wing opened, which includes a new
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), ...
department; maternity unit and eleven new operating theatres.
The hospital provides many facilities for the catchment area including an accident and emergency department, ear, nose and throat (ENT) unit, anaesthesia, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatric surgery, mental health services, infectious diseases and operating theatres.
Whyteman's Brae Hospital
Whyteman's Brae Hospital is a health facility in Whyteman's Brae, Kirkcaldy, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Fife.
History
The facility, which provides psychiatry and services for elderly patients, was completed in 1983. A serious outbreak of ...
which is part of the complex caters for psychiatry and elderly patients.
![MaggiesCentreKirkcaldy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/MaggiesCentreKirkcaldy.JPG)
The hospital also has an adjacent
Maggie's Centre
Maggie's centres are a network of drop-in centres across the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, which aim to help anyone who has been affected by cancer. They are not intended as a replacement for conventional cancer therapy, but as a caring enviro ...
to support people who are diagnosed with cancer. Known as Maggie's Fife, it opened in November 2006. The centre, which is a single storey building shaped like a prism, was designed by
Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...
, and was her first completed building in the United Kingdom. It was shortlisted for the Scottish Design Awards.
The money for the project was raised via the ''Fife Free Press'' Maggie's Appeal.
A radio station known as the
Victoria Radio Network
The Victoria Radio Network (VRN) is a hospital radio station based in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. It currently broadcasts 24 hours a day to the premises of the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, Victoria Hospital and surrounding facilities to patients' be ...
(VRN 1287) has been on the air since 1971. VRN is now considered one of the UK's longest running and successful
hospital radios still on air. In 2002, the station was awarded a license to broadcast on medium wave 1287 kHz (AM) and transmits 24-hours a day.
Performance
The hospital was criticised after an unannounced
Healthcare Environment Inspectorate
Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) is the national healthcare improvement organisation for Scotland. It is a public body which is part of the Scottish National Health Service, created in April 2011.
History
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland ( ...
visit in December 2014 which slammed the "serious nature" of its problems with cleanliness.
The orthopaedic surgery team was praised in October 2016 as among the top performing in Scotland for elective orthopaedic surgery. Rates of cancelled operations were among the best in Scotland. The theatres were the second most efficient in Scotland, with fewer early finishes, late starts and less turnover time between patients. A delegation from the
British Orthopaedic Association
The British Orthopaedic Association is a professional association in Britain for doctors who specialize in orthopaedic surgery.
History
The British Orthopaedic Association was founded in 1918. One of the founders was Harry Platt, who went on t ...
including
Tim Briggs visited in 2015.
Transport
Victoria Hospital is situated to the north of the town centre. There are main bus routes that serve the catchment area for the hospital particularly from Glenrothes, Leven and from the railway station.
Bus stances can be found adjacent to the east wing entrance and on the opposite side of the road.
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
External links
*
Victoria Hospital on the NHS inform websiteHealthcare Improvement Scotland inspection reports
{{authority control
NHS Fife
Hospital buildings completed in 1967
Hospital buildings completed in 2012
NHS Scotland hospitals
Kirkcaldy
Hospitals in Fife
1967 establishments in Scotland
Hospitals established in 1967