Highlands Hospital
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Highlands Hospital was a
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
in
Winchmore Hill Winchmore Hill is a suburb and electoral ward in the Borough of Enfield, North London, in the N21 postal district. With the Winchmore Hill conservation area as a focal point, the district is bounded on the east by Green Lanes (the A105 road ...
, in the
London Borough of Enfield The London Borough of Enfield () is a London boroughs, London borough in North London. It borders the London boroughs of London Borough of Barnet, Barnet to the west, London Borough of Haringey, Haringey to the south, and London Borough of Walt ...
which closed in 1993.Lee, Rob. ''Reprovision of the Oaks and Elms Services and New homes for Cornwall Villa residents: an update.'' Enfield Primary Care Trust, January 2005.
Accessed 22 March 2007.
The site was redeveloped for residential accommodation, although many of the original buildings remain. The site is designated a
conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
London Borough of Enfield: Highlands Conservation Area Character Appraisal
Accessed 22 March 2007.
and the former ambulance station is a grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.


History

The site was part of the Chaseville Park estate (originally part of
Enfield Chase Enfield Chase is an area of Enfield that is named for a former royal hunting ground. Much of the former area of the Chase has been developed, but a large part survives between Cockfosters in the west and Enfield in the east as Trent Country ...
) and was acquired by the
Metropolitan Asylums Board The Metropolitan Asylums Board (MAB) was established under Poor Law legislation to deal with London's sick and poor. It was established by the Metropolitan Poor Act 1867 and dissolved in 1930, when its functions were transferred to the London Count ...
in 1883–4.workhouses.org.uk: The Northern Convalescent Fever Hospital, Winchmore Hill
Accessed 22 March 2007.
In May 1885 the foundation stone was laid of what was originally to be named The Northern Convalescent Fever Hospital, and the hospital opened on 25 September 1887, having been designed by architects Pennington and Bridgen. Rather than having a single large building, the hospital comprised several smaller buildings, known as villas. In 1890, temporary huts were erected to increase capacity. The following year, further temporary iron huts were erected on a neighbouring site to the north of the existing hospital. During 1892 and 1893, 200 cases of
scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...
were treated in the Enfield Isolation Hospital by a Dr. J. J. Ridge, with a mortality rate of 2.5 per cent, compared to a 6.3 per cent mortality rate in other hospitals under the control of the Metropolitan Asylums Board in 1893. In 1900, Enfield Urban District Council replaced these with a new isolation hospital, named Enfield Isolation Hospital, designed by the district council surveyor, a Mr Collins, and built by Chesoum and Sons. The Enfield and Edmonton Joint Hospital Board took control of Enfield Isolation Hospital in 1905. The main purpose of the hospital was to deal with
infectious diseases An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...
with the notable exception of
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
.British History Online: Edmonton Public Services
Accessed 22 March 2007.
Control of the Northern Convalescent Fever Hospital was transferred to
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 ...
in 1930, and the site served as an emergency bed service hospital during
World War II 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 opposin ...
. In 1938, four additional single storey ward blocks were added to the Enfield Isolation Hospital. After the war, 200 post-encephalitic
Parkinsonism Parkinsonism is a clinical syndrome characterized by tremor, bradykinesia (slowed movements), rigidity, and postural instability. These are the four motor symptoms found in Parkinson's disease (PD), after which it is named, dementia with Lewy bo ...
patients were cared for at the hospital by consultant
geriatrician Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατρός ''iatros' ...
and former general practitioner Joseph Sharkey, whose work at the hospital included the early trials of
levodopa -DOPA, also known as levodopa and -3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, is an amino acid that is made and used as part of the normal biology of some plants and animals, including humans. Humans, as well as a portion of the other animals that utilize -DOPA ...
in Parkinsonism. Both the Northern Convalescent Fever Hospital and Enfield Isolation Hospital came under the control 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 " ...
on its formation in 1948, and both hospitals were renamed. The Northern Convalescent Fever Hospital became Highlands Hospital, and the Enfield Isolation Hospital became South Lodge Hospital. At this time, Highlands comprised 16 buildings with 480 beds. In 1966, the hospitals were merged, with the new hospital retaining the Highlands name. The hospital became an
acute hospital In medicine, describing a disease as acute denotes that it is of short duration and, as a corollary of that, of recent onset. The quantification of how much time constitutes "short" and "recent" varies by disease and by context, but the core deno ...
and had 550 beds in 1973. The site was designated a conservation area by the
Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...
in 1986. In the same year, Enfield
District Health Authority A district health authority was an administrative territorial entity of the National Health Service in England and Wales introduced by the National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973. District health authorities existed in Britain from 1974 t ...
announced plans to close the hospital complex. In 1993, Enfield District Health Authority (which was itself disbanded in 1996) agreed to the disposal of the site to developers. The site was purchased for around £20 million. Some of the proceeds were used to construct the Highlands wing at
Chase Farm Hospital Chase Farm Hospital is a hospital in The Ridgeway, in Gordon Hill, Enfield, run by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital has its origins in a Poor Law orphanage established in 1886. The oldest part of the hospital, ...
. Many of the old Highlands / Northern Convalescent Fever Hospital buildings were retained, but the South Lodge / Enfield Isolation Hospital buildings were demolished to make way for a
supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...
. A report published later by the borough council stated that the demolition of the historic South Lodge buildings was "in retrospect an unfortunate loss for the character of the area."


Notable former staff

* Joseph Sharkey, whose work at the hospital included the early trials of
levodopa -DOPA, also known as levodopa and -3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, is an amino acid that is made and used as part of the normal biology of some plants and animals, including humans. Humans, as well as a portion of the other animals that utilize -DOPA ...
in Parkinsonism, cared for 200 post-encephalitic
Parkinsonism Parkinsonism is a clinical syndrome characterized by tremor, bradykinesia (slowed movements), rigidity, and postural instability. These are the four motor symptoms found in Parkinson's disease (PD), after which it is named, dementia with Lewy bo ...
patients shortly after the second world war. * Peggy Mardell began her training as a fever nurse at Highlands aged 17, since general nurse training was not available below the age of 19. She became the regional nursing officer of the North West Thames Health Authority and was appointed a
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1982 for her services to healthcare. *
James Purdon Martin James Purdon Martin (1893–1984) was a British neurologist. Biography After education at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, J. Purdon Martin matriculated in 1912 at Queen's University Belfast and graduated there in with BA in 1915 an ...
's book ''The Basal Ganglia Posture'' (1967) includes case histories and clinical observations of a large group of patients with post-encephalitic
Parkinsonism Parkinsonism is a clinical syndrome characterized by tremor, bradykinesia (slowed movements), rigidity, and postural instability. These are the four motor symptoms found in Parkinson's disease (PD), after which it is named, dementia with Lewy bo ...
who were long-stay patients at Highlands Hospital. * Thomas Lansley worked as a medical laboratory technician at Highlands and went on to co-found the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine and chair the Institute of Medical Laboratory Scientists. His son,
Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
, was
Secretary of State for Health The secretary of state for health and social care, also referred to as the health secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the work of the Department of Health and Social Care. The incumbent ...
from 2010 to 2012.


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 L ...
*
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, Nottinghams ...
*
Grove Fever Hospital The Grove Hospital, originally the Grove Fever Hospital, was a hospital for infectious diseases opened in Tooting Grove, London. History The hospital was opened as the Grove Fever Hospital in Tooting Grove, London in 1899. It became the Grove Mi ...


References


External links


Photographs of South Lodge Hospital shortly before its closure
{{coord, 51.64489, -0.11089, display=title Hospital buildings completed in 1887 Health in the London Borough of Enfield Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Enfield Defunct hospitals in London Fever hospitals