Kingston Hospital
Encyclopedia
Kingston Hospital is an acute NHS
hospital
in Kingston upon Thames
, South West London
. It has an Accident & Emergency Unit
, a popular midwife-led Maternity
unit, and an STD clinic known as the Wolverton Centre. It is operated by Kingston Hospital NHS Trust
.
. An infirmary was built on the site of what is now Regent Wing in 1843. A nurses home complex was built in the north west corner of the site in 1897, which was partially demolished in 1998 to build a car park.
In 1902 the infirmary was separated from the workhouse
and named Kingston Infirmary. In 1920 it was renamed Kingston and District Hospital. In 1948, when the NHS was launched, the entire former workhouse site was given over to the hospital, and many of the original buildings were demolished. Esher Wing was built in the 1970s.
In June 2007, the Trust opened a new Surgical Centre with a new 100 bedded facility, housing surgical and gynaecology wards. The centre also houses the physiotherapy department, education centre and the staff and visitor restaurant, The Dining Room.
More recently, in June 2008, the Trust opened the Sir William Rous
Unit, for those with cancer or concerned they might have cancer. The unit is run in partnership between, Kingston Hospital, The Royal Marsden Hospital
and Macmillan Cancer Support
so as to provide the best possible care for patients with cancer.
The Trust is currently involved in the process of applying for foundation status
, which will provide it with greater autonomy within the NHS.
initiative.
The Trust provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment services and focuses on innovative developments in healthcare, particularly in 'patient-focused' care, day surgery and maternity services.
As well as the General Charitable Fund, the hospital also has the KingstonCan appeal, which helped to provide funds for the building of the Sir William Rous Unit, a dedicated cancer unit, and also Born Too Soon, which offers support to parents who have a baby being cared for on the Neonatal Unit at Kingston Hospital.
and is on the A308
. It is serviced by several bus routes (primarily from Kingston upon Thames
).
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
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....
in Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, South West London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It has an Accident & Emergency Unit
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
, a popular midwife-led Maternity
Maternity
Maternity or motherhood is the social and legal acknowledgment of the parental relationship between a mother and her child.It is specially related with the protection of the baby and the mother within and after the childbirth.-See also:...
unit, and an STD clinic known as the Wolverton Centre. It is operated by Kingston Hospital NHS Trust
NHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
.
History
The hospital is on the site of the former Kingston Union Workhouse, which was built in 1837-1839 as a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, sometimes abbreviated to PLAA, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Lord Melbourne that reformed the country's poverty relief system . It was an Amendment Act that completely replaced earlier legislation based on the...
. An infirmary was built on the site of what is now Regent Wing in 1843. A nurses home complex was built in the north west corner of the site in 1897, which was partially demolished in 1998 to build a car park.
In 1902 the infirmary was separated from the 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...
and named Kingston Infirmary. In 1920 it was renamed Kingston and District Hospital. In 1948, when the NHS was launched, the entire former workhouse site was given over to the hospital, and many of the original buildings were demolished. Esher Wing was built in the 1970s.
In June 2007, the Trust opened a new Surgical Centre with a new 100 bedded facility, housing surgical and gynaecology wards. The centre also houses the physiotherapy department, education centre and the staff and visitor restaurant, The Dining Room.
More recently, in June 2008, the Trust opened the Sir William Rous
William Rous (British Army officer)
Lieutenant General The Honourable Sir William Edward Rous KCB OBE is a former Quartermaster-General to the Forces.-Military career:Born the son of the Earl of Stradbroke, Rous was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in 1959....
Unit, for those with cancer or concerned they might have cancer. The unit is run in partnership between, Kingston Hospital, The Royal Marsden Hospital
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
The Royal Marsden Hospital is a specialist cancer treatment hospital in London, England. It is an NHS Foundation Trust, and operates facilities on two sites:*The Chelsea site in Brompton, next to the Royal Brompton Hospital, on Fulham Road...
and Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer....
so as to provide the best possible care for patients with cancer.
The Trust is currently involved in the process of applying for foundation status
NHS Foundation Trust
An NHS foundation trust is part of the National Health Service in England and has gained a degree of independence from the Department of Health and local NHS strategic health authority.Foundation Trusts are represented by the , .-Function:...
, which will provide it with greater autonomy within the NHS.
Information about the Hospital
The hospital, which is located on one site in Kingston Upon Thames, serves approximately 320,000 people in Kingston, Richmond, Roehampton, Putney, East Elmbridge and other parts of South West London. The Trust has approximately 520 beds and directly employs some 2,600 staff with another 300 staff employed by contractors but working on behalf of the Trust. The entire site is non-smoking, as part of an NHSNational 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...
initiative.
The Trust provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment services and focuses on innovative developments in healthcare, particularly in 'patient-focused' care, day surgery and maternity services.
As well as the General Charitable Fund, the hospital also has the KingstonCan appeal, which helped to provide funds for the building of the Sir William Rous Unit, a dedicated cancer unit, and also Born Too Soon, which offers support to parents who have a baby being cared for on the Neonatal Unit at Kingston Hospital.
Transport
Kingston Hospital is close to Norbiton railway stationNorbiton railway station
Norbiton railway station is in Norbiton, a suburb in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, in south west London. It is on the Kingston Loop Line. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South West Trains...
and is on the A308
A308 road
The A308, is a road in England in two parts.*The Brompton to Fulham section starts at the A4 road by Brompton Oratory and Victoria and Albert Museum, and follows Fulham Road South West to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where it jumps south a block to follow Kings Road to meet the A219 road in...
. It is serviced by several bus routes (primarily from Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
).