Watford General Hospital
| Watford General Hospital | |
|---|---|
| West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust | |
 Watford General Hospital from Vicarage Road | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Public NHS |
| Type | District General |
| Services | |
| Standards | Inadequate[1] |
| Emergency department | Yes Accident & Emergency |
| Beds | 521 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Lists | Hospitals in the United Kingdom |
Watford General Hospital is a 521-bed acute District General Hospital situated on Vicarage Road, Watford, Hertfordshire. Together with Hemel Hempstead Hospital and St Albans City Hospital, it is operated by West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.[2]
History
Watford General was formed at the foundation of the National Health Service utilising buildings which were formerly the Watford workhouse (which was opened in 1838) and, from 1929, Shrodells Public Assistance Institution.[3] During World War II Shrodells Public Assistance Institution became part of the Emergency Hospital Service. The Institution joined the NHS in 1948 as Shrodell's Hospital. It had 464 general beds. By 1953 the Hospital was linked with the Watford and District Peace Memorial Hospital and shared the same consultant staff. It had 419 beds, for mainly chronic patients.
In 1965 the Hospital merged officially with the Watford and District Peace Memorial Hospital to form the Watford General Hospital. It became the Shrodells Wing with 361 beds. The first of a three-phase major redevelopment plan to upgrade and modernise the Hospital was initiated in the late 1960s. In 1968 the Holywell Hospital became the Holywell Wing of the Watford General Hospital, while the Watford Maternity Hospital in King Street became its Maternity Wing. In 1969 the Shrodells Wing briefly became a geriatric hospital with 356 beds (increased to 477 in 1970). In 1972 the Shrodells Psychiatric Unit was established. One of the first of its kind, it had 40 beds. However, the redevelopment of the Hospital had ground to a halt, the government first delaying the project and then abandoning it. Phase three of the scheme would have provided a new suite of four operating theatres with its own Sterile Supply Unit. In 1975, some 1,200 residents and workers in the Borough of Watford signed a petition to the government, complaining about the long waiting lists and inadequate facilities at the Hospital. Staff shortages and defunct equipment even meant that the Casualty Department had to be closed some weekends. The Hospital by this time had 544 beds for mainly acute patients.[4]
In 1983 a new £1m Nurses' Home was built on the eastern side of the site by Willow Lane. The U-shaped building was linked in with the existing staff accommodation. It had 60 bed-sitting rooms, 12 family apartments, a Common Room and basement areas. In the mid-1980s, when the Hospital had 436 beds, the Princess Michael of Kent Wing opened. It housed the Out-Patients Department, wards and various departments, including the Accident and Emergency Department, and increased the bed complement to 536 beds.
The facility also incorporated Watford's Peace Memorial Hospital which was transferred to the Shrodells site when the Peace Memorial Hospital closed in 1985.[5][6] The Peace Hospice is situated on the former Peace Memorial site.[6][7] The Princess Michael of Kent Wing at the Shrodells site was opened by Princess Michael of Kent in 1986[8][9] and an acute admissions unit was opened by Andy Burnham, the Secretary of State for Health, in February 2010.[8]
The hospital manages beyond its safe capacity with A&E having been designed for around 30,000 attendances per year but receiving over 88,000. The hospital failed its CQC inspection in March 2017 and again in January 2018. The A&E received particular criticism for being understaffed and in breach of safety legislation.[1]
Outline planning permission to redevelop the hospital and create the Watford Health Campus was granted in 2008. Section 106 agreements which will provide £3 million for infrastructure around the Vicarage Road site, including education and transport, were signed on 26 March 2010.[10] In August 2012 Kier Property was selected to carry out the development programme.[11] It will take 15–20 years to complete.[12]
Facilities
A new road has been built to improve linking the hospital to the town centre and the M1. Given the name, Thomas Sawyer Way, it is the main access for the hospital. The hospital entrance on Vicarage Road is now only used for disabled parking and as a drop-off point for patients.[13][14][15]
The hospital is well-served by Watford buses running between the town centre and Rickmansworth.[16]
References
- ^ a b "CQC Report January 2018".
- ^ "West Herts Hospitals". Retrieved 6 September 2012.
- ^ Higginbotham, Peter. "The Workhouse". Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ Watford General Hospital
- ^ "Details: Watford General Hospital (Peace Memorial Wing), Watford". Hospital Records Database. National Archives. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Peace Memorial Hospital". War Memorials Archive. Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ "Our history". Peace Hospice. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Watford General Hospital". Lost Hospitals of London. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Princess Michael of Kent wing". Watford History Group. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Watford Health Campus closer to reality". Watford Observer. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Kier Property is to draw up plans for new hospital and hundreds of homes". Watford Observer. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "First spade hits the ground for the Watford Health Campus road". 23 July 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ "New hospital road funding hailed as critical stride to Health Campus". Watford Observer. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "New hospital Road map" (PDF). West Herts Hospitals.
- ^ "Change to hospital access as Thomas Sawyer Way opens". West Herts Hospitals. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Watford - Our Services". 2 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.