Manchester Royal Infirmary
Encyclopedia
The Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a hospital in Manchester
, England
which was founded by Charles White in 1752 as a cottage hospital
capable of caring for twelve patients. Manchester Royal Infirmary is part of a larger NHS Trust incorporating several hospitals called Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
. It is a teaching hospital
of the School of Medicine, University of Manchester and part of the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
(former Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust
). Other teaching hospitals which are part of the same NHS trust
are: St Mary's Hospital, Manchester
(founded 1790), the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital
(1814), and the University Dental Hospital of Manchester (1884); Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
(1829).
(one of the largest teaching hospitals for ophthalmology in Europe). It is possible to access one hospital from the others without going outside. A link bridge links St Mary's Hospital with the new wing of the Royal Infirmary and the Children's Hospital.
(the gardens were only created after the demolition of the former MRI buildings in 1914). The site was donated by the Lord of the Manor and had previously been called the Daub Holes: these pits had filled with water and they were replaced by a fine ornamental pond. The new building was opened in 1755 and by the late 19th century statues had been installed on the esplanade on the northern side while the streets to the south beyond Parker Street were narrow. White co-founded the Manchester Royal Infirmary with local industrialist Joseph Bancroft in 1752, and was an honorary surgeon there until 1790. In an adjacent building was the Lunatic Asylum, established in 1763; in 1849 the asylum was removed to Cheadle, Cheshire. Students in the nineteenth century were awarded external degrees by the University of London.
, it relocated to its present site on Oxford Road, Chorlton on Medlock, opposite Whitworth Park
; it was opened by King Edward VII. The years of World War II were busy and bomb damage destroyed parts of the building.
The hospital has been very much enlarged in the last 25 years: in summer 2009 came the latest additions, a new children's hospital and a new eye hospital.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, 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...
which was founded by Charles White in 1752 as a cottage hospital
Cottage Hospital
The original concept of a cottage hospital was a small rural hospital having up to 25 beds. One advantage of such a hospital in villages was the familiarity the local physician might have with their patient that may affect their treatment...
capable of caring for twelve patients. Manchester Royal Infirmary is part of a larger NHS Trust incorporating several hospitals called Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Central Manchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is made up of five hospitals: Manchester Royal Infirmary; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital; St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and University Dental Hospital of Manchester.-Services:As the leading provider of...
. It is a teaching hospital
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
of the School of Medicine, University of Manchester and part of the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Central Manchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is made up of five hospitals: Manchester Royal Infirmary; Royal Manchester Children's Hospital; St Mary's Hospital, Manchester; Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and University Dental Hospital of Manchester.-Services:As the leading provider of...
(former Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals 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...
). Other teaching hospitals which are part of the same 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...
are: St Mary's Hospital, Manchester
St Mary's Hospital, Manchester
St Mary's Hospital is a hospital in Manchester, England. It is part of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It was founded in 1790. St Mary's provides a unique range of inter-related services specifically for women and children...
(founded 1790), the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital is an ophthalmic hospital in Oxford Road, Chorlton on Medlock, Manchester, England. It is part of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It was founded in 1814 on the initiative of W. J. Wilson and opened the following year. It is located on the...
(1814), and the University Dental Hospital of Manchester (1884); Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is a children's hospital based in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. It is part of the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust...
(1829).
The hospital today
Manchester Royal Infirmary now has over 750 beds. On the same site since summer 2009 are the new Children's Hospital, St Mary's Hospital (Maternity and Babies), the new wing of Manchester Royal Infirmary, and the new Eye HospitalManchester Royal Eye Hospital
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital is an ophthalmic hospital in Oxford Road, Chorlton on Medlock, Manchester, England. It is part of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It was founded in 1814 on the initiative of W. J. Wilson and opened the following year. It is located on the...
(one of the largest teaching hospitals for ophthalmology in Europe). It is possible to access one hospital from the others without going outside. A link bridge links St Mary's Hospital with the new wing of the Royal Infirmary and the Children's Hospital.
- The Children's Hospital contains 371 beds and is the largest free-standing children's hospital in the UK.
- Manchester Mental Health and Social Care trust also runs a mental health unit on the site for inpatients and outpatients: see route map: access via Hathersage Road.
- Manchester Royal Infirmary itself specialises in cardiology, in renal medicine and surgery, and in kidneyKidneyThe kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
and pancreasPancreasThe pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...
transplants. Its A&EEmergency departmentAn 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...
department deals with around 145,000 patients every year.
Town centre
Its first premises was a house in Garden Street, off Withy Grove, Manchester. It grew in importance and needed to expand, the infirmary moved to considerably larger premises on Lever's Row in the area now known as Piccadilly GardensPiccadilly Gardens
Piccadilly Gardens is a green space in Manchester city centre, England, situated at one end of Market Street and on the edge of the Northern Quarter...
(the gardens were only created after the demolition of the former MRI buildings in 1914). The site was donated by the Lord of the Manor and had previously been called the Daub Holes: these pits had filled with water and they were replaced by a fine ornamental pond. The new building was opened in 1755 and by the late 19th century statues had been installed on the esplanade on the northern side while the streets to the south beyond Parker Street were narrow. White co-founded the Manchester Royal Infirmary with local industrialist Joseph Bancroft in 1752, and was an honorary surgeon there until 1790. In an adjacent building was the Lunatic Asylum, established in 1763; in 1849 the asylum was removed to Cheadle, Cheshire. Students in the nineteenth century were awarded external degrees by the University of London.
Oxford Road
A fire in nearby buildings showed hospital staff that the crowdedness of the area would badly hamper evacuation if there was a fire in the hospital. In 1908, in partnership with the Victoria University of ManchesterVictoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester was a university in Manchester, England. On 1 October 2004 it merged with the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology to form a new entity, "The University of Manchester".-1851 - 1951:The University was founded in 1851 as Owens College,...
, it relocated to its present site on Oxford Road, Chorlton on Medlock, opposite Whitworth Park
Whitworth Park
See also Darley Dale and Whitworth Park Halls of ResidenceWhitworth Park is a public park in south Manchester, United Kingdom. The Whitworth Art Gallery and some of the University of Manchester student residences, popularly known as "Toblerones", are located there...
; it was opened by King Edward VII. The years of World War II were busy and bomb damage destroyed parts of the building.
The hospital has been very much enlarged in the last 25 years: in summer 2009 came the latest additions, a new children's hospital and a new eye hospital.
Further reading
- Valier, Helen K. (2007) "The Manchester Royal Infirmary, 1945-97: a microcosm of the National Health Service", in: Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester; vol. 87, no. 1 (2005)