Billinge Hospital was a National Health Service

National Health Service

The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...

 facility in the Billinge Higher End

Higher End

Higher End or Billinge Higher End is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.-Governance:Billinge lies within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire...

 district of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan

Metropolitan Borough of Wigan

The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...

, Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...

, England, operated by the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust

5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust

5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust is an NHS trust providing mental health in five boroughs in North West England. They are Halton, Knowsley, St. Helens, Warrington and Wigan. Up until 2002, 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust was called Warrington Community Health Care Trust....

.

Current facilities

The hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

 offers the following facilities:

• Beacon Day Hospital - Assessment and Day Care for the elderly mentally ill.
• Children & Learning Disabilities
• Clinical/Counselling Psychology Department for Adults

History

Billinge Hospital was originally founded in 1837 as a Wigan Poor Law Union hospital and workhouse

Workhouse

In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...

. Mental Health services are still available

Opened in 1968, Billinge Maternity Hospital served as the maternity facility for the surrounding areas, including much of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, parts of the Metropolitan Borough of St.Helens and parts of the District of West Lancashire .

In June 2004, the maternity hospital was closed and maternity facilities were transferred to other units at hospitals in surrounding districts. Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust, who administered at Billinge Maternity Hospital, were transferred to a new maternity unit at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary (more commonly known as Wigan Infirmary) in Wigan . Maternity care units were upgraded at surrounding hospitals, including Whiston Hospital, Ormskirk Hospital, Bolton Hospital, Salford Royal, Chorley Hospital and Warrington Hospital.

In March 2007, demolition work on the maternity hospital building commenced. As of May 2007, only a small section of the maternity unit is left standing.

In April 2010, only two buildings stand which are due to be demolished soon as more houses are being built on the site of the former hospital.