Broomfield Hospital
Encyclopedia
Broomfield Hospital is the general hospital for Chelmsford
, England
and the surrounding areas. It is the largest within the Mid Essex Hospitals Services Trust and is an 800-bed acute hospital which offers a vast range of services. The world renowned St. Andrew's Centre - a specialist unit for cleft lip and palate, burns
and plastic surgery
is also located at Broomfield Hospital.
patients. It was due to open in 1937, but this was delayed due to the Second World War
. Until 1959 all the patients in the 312 beds were male and length of stay ranged from six months to four years. The hospital was soon working to full capacity and was the only centre for chest surgery for pulmonary tuberculosis in Essex. Towards the end of the World War II
ar 50 per cent of patients were ex-service men. The Hospital's first physician superintendent and administrator was Dr William Lyall Yell.
The hospital was built with south facing “butterfly” wings that caught the sun for the benefit of the tuberculosis patients. Even during the winter months patients were wheeled out onto the balconies. Fresh air, bed rest
and good food were part of their treatment and a lot of the food for the patients was grown on the hospital farm.
As the incidences of tuberculosis declined, the hospital developed and acute general care gradually became the focus for the hospital. Following the creation of the National Health Service
in 1948, the hospital became the responsibility of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. 1959 saw the first female patients and the delivery of six babies. in 1960 Broomfield became a General Hospital and training for nursing was established at the hospital. During the 1960s the hospital dealt with more general surgery
, orthopaedics and general medicine. Extensions to the hospital included a large outpatients clinic, geriatric wards and most wards now had emergency cover.
In 1970 plans were revealed for the first stage of a £3m development for new district general services.
Over the years the hospital has expanded and by the 1980s it included an accident & emergency department, pharmacy
, rehabilitation department, operating theatre
s, intensive therapy unit and new specialised wards. in 1981 Dame Elizabeth Coker, then chairman of the health authority launched a £13m Hospital development. A former concert hall was converted and became a new Medical Academic Centre in 1988.
In 1983 The Princess Anne
opened the CAT scanner following years of fund raising and returned in 1987 to open a new ward block. Work then started on upgrading the east wing of the hospital and the west wing was demolished the following year. The Hospital opened its Intensive Care unit in the 1987 and moved to its current location in the new wing in 1998.It remains the jewel in the crown of medical services within the hospital, with exceptional results. These results have been consistent over many years according to the units ICNARC 6 monthly reports, putting it in the top 10% of units in England and Wales.
A new medical academic library
was built in 1991 and the following year Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust was formed and full Trust status was achieved. More development work continued throughout the 1990s and clinical space increased by more than fifty per cent. In 1994 Frank Bruno
MBE
opened the new screening room and mammographic facilities and in November of the same year The Broomfield Dialysis Centre was officially opened. Then Prime Minister
John Major
, undertook the topping out ceremony in 1996. The new East Wing was officially opened in 1998 by the then Trust Chairman, Sir Jeffery Bowman, former Nurse Tutor Margaret Craig and former consultant anaesthetist Dr David Walmsley and a new Diabetic Centre was opened the same year. A Medical Assessment Unit opened in 1998.
Major Overhaul Of Broomfield Hospital (Needs A New Section of its own)
In November 2010 a £148 Million Major re-development of Broomfield Hospital was unveiled to the public. This resulted in a number of new facilities and departments being developed. A State of the art Accident and Emergency Facility opened a brand new Maternity Unit, brand new wards and state of the art facilities were incorporated within the new and existing building. Essex Air Ambulance
opened a brand new Heli Pad on top of the building providing more efficient access by air. The Hospital also opened a new day care centre to provide support for the staff and patients.
These developments are all attempts to make the hospital more efficient and community focused. The project has created 365 new beds. The Hospital also has a number of retail outlets and restaurants including a costa, a NHSPresso an M&S and a WHSmith.
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the surrounding areas. It is the largest within the Mid Essex Hospitals Services Trust and is an 800-bed acute hospital which offers a vast range of services. The world renowned St. Andrew's Centre - a specialist unit for cleft lip and palate, burns
Burn (injury)
A burn is a type of injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation or friction. Most burns affect only the skin . Rarely, deeper tissues, such as muscle, bone, and blood vessels can also be injured...
and plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
is also located at Broomfield Hospital.
History
Broomfield Hospital, originally known as Essex County Hospital was opened in 1940 as a hospital for the treatment of tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
patients. It was due to open in 1937, but this was delayed due to the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Until 1959 all the patients in the 312 beds were male and length of stay ranged from six months to four years. The hospital was soon working to full capacity and was the only centre for chest surgery for pulmonary tuberculosis in Essex. Towards the end of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ar 50 per cent of patients were ex-service men. The Hospital's first physician superintendent and administrator was Dr William Lyall Yell.
The hospital was built with south facing “butterfly” wings that caught the sun for the benefit of the tuberculosis patients. Even during the winter months patients were wheeled out onto the balconies. Fresh air, bed rest
Bed rest
Bed rest is a medical treatment involving a period of consistent recumbence in bed. It is used as a treatment for an illness or medical condition, especially when prescribed or chosen rather than resulting from severe prostration or imminent death...
and good food were part of their treatment and a lot of the food for the patients was grown on the hospital farm.
As the incidences of tuberculosis declined, the hospital developed and acute general care gradually became the focus for the hospital. Following the creation of the 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...
in 1948, the hospital became the responsibility of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. 1959 saw the first female patients and the delivery of six babies. in 1960 Broomfield became a General Hospital and training for nursing was established at the hospital. During the 1960s the hospital dealt with more general surgery
General surgery
General surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs, e.g., intestines including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland . They also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, soft...
, orthopaedics and general medicine. Extensions to the hospital included a large outpatients clinic, geriatric wards and most wards now had emergency cover.
In 1970 plans were revealed for the first stage of a £3m development for new district general services.
Over the years the hospital has expanded and by the 1980s it included an accident & emergency department, pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, rehabilitation department, operating theatre
Operating theatre
An operating theater was a non-sterile, tiered theater or amphitheater in which students and other spectators could watch surgeons perform surgery...
s, intensive therapy unit and new specialised wards. in 1981 Dame Elizabeth Coker, then chairman of the health authority launched a £13m Hospital development. A former concert hall was converted and became a new Medical Academic Centre in 1988.
In 1983 The Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
opened the CAT scanner following years of fund raising and returned in 1987 to open a new ward block. Work then started on upgrading the east wing of the hospital and the west wing was demolished the following year. The Hospital opened its Intensive Care unit in the 1987 and moved to its current location in the new wing in 1998.It remains the jewel in the crown of medical services within the hospital, with exceptional results. These results have been consistent over many years according to the units ICNARC 6 monthly reports, putting it in the top 10% of units in England and Wales.
A new medical academic library
Academic library
An academic library is a library that is attached to academic institutions above the secondary level, serving the teaching and research needs of students and staff...
was built in 1991 and the following year Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust was formed and full Trust status was achieved. More development work continued throughout the 1990s and clinical space increased by more than fifty per cent. In 1994 Frank Bruno
Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...
MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
opened the new screening room and mammographic facilities and in November of the same year The Broomfield Dialysis Centre was officially opened. Then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, undertook the topping out ceremony in 1996. The new East Wing was officially opened in 1998 by the then Trust Chairman, Sir Jeffery Bowman, former Nurse Tutor Margaret Craig and former consultant anaesthetist Dr David Walmsley and a new Diabetic Centre was opened the same year. A Medical Assessment Unit opened in 1998.
Major Overhaul Of Broomfield Hospital (Needs A New Section of its own)
In November 2010 a £148 Million Major re-development of Broomfield Hospital was unveiled to the public. This resulted in a number of new facilities and departments being developed. A State of the art Accident and Emergency Facility opened a brand new Maternity Unit, brand new wards and state of the art facilities were incorporated within the new and existing building. Essex Air Ambulance
Essex Air Ambulance
Essex Air Ambulance is an air ambulance service serving the county of Essex and surrounding areas, in the east of England. It is one of twenty-five air ambulance services in the United Kingdom....
opened a brand new Heli Pad on top of the building providing more efficient access by air. The Hospital also opened a new day care centre to provide support for the staff and patients.
These developments are all attempts to make the hospital more efficient and community focused. The project has created 365 new beds. The Hospital also has a number of retail outlets and restaurants including a costa, a NHSPresso an M&S and a WHSmith.
Famous alumni
- Debbie SellDebbie SellDebbie Sell, OBE, FRCSLT is a leading British speech and language therapist.-Life and career:Sell qualified in 1976 with a diploma in speech Pathology and Therapeutics from the College of Education in Leicester. Her first appointment as a speech therapist was at Whipps Cross Hospital where she...
- 1954- Pioneering speech and language therapist. Awarded the OBE for services to the National Health Service in 2006