Northwick Park Hospital
Encyclopedia
Northwick Park Hospital (NPH) is a large hospital
in the northwest corner of the London Borough of Brent
in Greater London
, England
.
(NHS) hospital, although it has some private funding units. It is part of The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust.
St. Mark's Hospital
, a national centre of gastrointestinal
medicine
is based at the same site, as is the British Olympic Association
's Olympic Medical Institute.
The hospital has its own hospital radio station, Radio Northwick Park
.
Northwick Park is also one of the few hospitals in England to have a Paternoster
lift transport system. This was featured in the film The Omen
. The system is controlled by smart card access for staff only.
Northwick Park is also a teaching hospital for students of Imperial College School of Medicine
.
and Watford Road without entering the hospital. The nearest railway stations are Kenton
, Northwick Park
and Harrow on the Hill, all of which have direct bus connections. There are direct links by bus from other areas including Edgware
, Wembley
and Kingsbury
.
Northwick Park Underground station is connected to the hospital by a footpath, and the journey takes approximately 5-10 minutes.
Car parking is plentiful in multistorey and ground-level car parks around the site. All car parks are pay & display; there are concessions for longer term visitors, patients in receipt of supplementary benefits can obtain refunds of parking fees at the hospital. There are a limited number of spaces (avoiding the need to use the barriers and ticket machines) for Blue badge holders. The car park is a cash only system and there are no cash machines inside the hospital.
The hospital's retail centre, The Square, contains a branch of Costa Coffee, a Northwick Park League of Friends Shop, a fruit and vegetable market and a hair salon. There is also a large convenience store operated by WHSmith, a dry cleaner, and several other outlets around the site operated by WHSmith, hospital volunteers or the St Mark's League of Friends.
It featured in the opening credits of an episode of the comedy
TV series Fawlty Towers
and the 1976 horror film The Omen
, and has been used as a set for both series of the Channel 4
comedy Green Wing
and the seventh series of ITV
's Prime Suspect.
In March 1975, the world's first body CT Scanner was installed at Northwick Park Hospital.
In 1994, the hospital merged with internationally-renowned St Mark's Hospital who moved in to a wing of the hospital formerly occupied by the Clinical Research Council. The hospital retains its research pedigree through its association with Imperial College School of Medicine and its own Northwick Park Institute of Medical Research.
In 2005, the hospital's maternity
department was named as having one of the highest death rates in the United Kingdom
http://www.cmace.org.uk/getattachment/927cf18a-735a-47a0-9200-cdea103781c7/Saving-Mothers--Lives-2003-2005_full.aspx. During the period April 2002 to March 2004, the maternal death rate for the maternity unit was 74.2 per 100,000, 6.5 times the national average of 11.4 per 100,000, as reported by Cemach (Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health). A range of "special measures" designed to improve maternity services and public confidence in the services was agreed with the Trust and these were all complied with within a year.
According to Dr Foster
's Hospital Guide (published on 17 November 2008) Northwick Park's mortality rates are among the best in the United Kingdom and The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages the hospital, is one of the 'most improved' NHS trusts.
On 13 March 2006, six people in a drug trial
at the independent Parexel
drug trial unit (which is not run by The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust) became severely unwell following administration of TGN1412
and were transferred to the intensive therapy unit at Northwick Park. Affected patients developed multi-organ failure and required intensive medical support by the critical care team at Northwick Park, led by Dr Ganesh Suntharalingam. All the patients subsequently survived and the last one was discharged in June 2006.
On 11 February 2009 a fire started in the basement of the hospital in an electrical switch room, causing parts of the ward block to be evacuated for a time. No patients were harmed, and the switch room has now been replaced, with all services back to normal. The hospital was given a Health Service Journal
good management award for the way in which the incident was handled.
Telephone:
020 8864 3232
(International +44 20 8864 3232)
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 the northwest corner of the London Borough of Brent
London Borough of Brent
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased...
in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, 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...
.
Hospital role
NPH is primarily a National Health Service (England)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...
(NHS) hospital, although it has some private funding units. It is part of The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust.
St. Mark's Hospital
St. Mark's Hospital
St. Mark's Hospital is a hospital in the Harrow and Wembley border as well as the London Borough of Harrow and London Borough of Brent border in northwest London, UK. It is the only hospital in the world to specialise entirely in intestinal and colorectal medicine and is a national and...
, a national centre of gastrointestinal
Gastrointestinal tract
The human gastrointestinal tract refers to the stomach and intestine, and sometimes to all the structures from the mouth to the anus. ....
medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
is based at the same site, as is the British Olympic Association
British Olympic Association
The British Olympic Association is the national Olympic committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1905 in the House of Commons, and at that time consisted of seven national governing body members from the following sports: fencing, life-saving, cycling, skating, rowing,...
's Olympic Medical Institute.
The hospital has its own hospital radio station, Radio Northwick Park
Radio Northwick Park
Radio Northwick Park is a free hospital broadcasting service based inside Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, Middlesex, England.The radio station was founded in 1971 and is run by volunteers to provide a broadcast entertainment service to patients...
.
Northwick Park is also one of the few hospitals in England to have a Paternoster
Paternoster
A paternoster or paternoster lift is a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like...
lift transport system. This was featured in the film The Omen
The Omen
An original score for the film, including the movie's theme song Ave Satani, was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, for which he received the only Oscar of his long career. The score features a strong choral segment, with a foreboding Latin chant...
. The system is controlled by smart card access for staff only.
Northwick Park is also a teaching hospital for students of Imperial College School of Medicine
Imperial College School of Medicine
The Imperial College School of Medicine is the medical school of Imperial College London in England, and one of the United Hospitals....
.
Location and accessibility
A number of bus routes serve the hospital, most of them calling at dedicated bus interchange sited within the hospital grounds near the main Watford Road entrance on the west side of the site; other buses pass nearby on Kenton RoadKenton Road
Kenton Road is a main road in the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent. It lies in the areas of Harrow and Kenton. Its eastern end is the border of Kenton in Middlesex and Kingsbury in London. Kenton Road is the A4006, apart from a short stretch west of Northwick Park...
and Watford Road without entering the hospital. The nearest railway stations are Kenton
Kenton station
Kenton station is a railway station served by London Underground and London Overground trains. It is located on the south side of Kenton Road in Kenton, a short walk from Northwick Park station on the London Underground Metropolitan Line.-History:The station was one of several built on the London...
, Northwick Park
Northwick Park tube station
Northwick Park is a London Underground station on the Metropolitan Line. It is in Zone 4, and lies between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Preston Road.It is served by 'slow' trains...
and Harrow on the Hill, all of which have direct bus connections. There are direct links by bus from other areas including Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
and Kingsbury
Kingsbury
Kingsbury is an area in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London. The name Kingsbury means "The King's Manor".-History:Kingsbury was historically a small parish in the Hundred of Gore and county of Middlesex. Until the nineteenth century it was largely rural with only scattered settlements....
.
Northwick Park Underground station is connected to the hospital by a footpath, and the journey takes approximately 5-10 minutes.
Car parking is plentiful in multistorey and ground-level car parks around the site. All car parks are pay & display; there are concessions for longer term visitors, patients in receipt of supplementary benefits can obtain refunds of parking fees at the hospital. There are a limited number of spaces (avoiding the need to use the barriers and ticket machines) for Blue badge holders. The car park is a cash only system and there are no cash machines inside the hospital.
The hospital's retail centre, The Square, contains a branch of Costa Coffee, a Northwick Park League of Friends Shop, a fruit and vegetable market and a hair salon. There is also a large convenience store operated by WHSmith, a dry cleaner, and several other outlets around the site operated by WHSmith, hospital volunteers or the St Mark's League of Friends.
History
The hospital was designed by the architect John Weeks and commissioned by the NW Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board in the late 1960s, and was opened by HM The Queen in 1970.It featured in the opening credits of an episode of the comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
TV series Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
and the 1976 horror film The Omen
The Omen
An original score for the film, including the movie's theme song Ave Satani, was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, for which he received the only Oscar of his long career. The score features a strong choral segment, with a foreboding Latin chant...
, and has been used as a set for both series of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
comedy Green Wing
Green Wing
Green Wing is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony, led by Victoria Pile, and stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt....
and the seventh series of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's Prime Suspect.
In March 1975, the world's first body CT Scanner was installed at Northwick Park Hospital.
In 1994, the hospital merged with internationally-renowned St Mark's Hospital who moved in to a wing of the hospital formerly occupied by the Clinical Research Council. The hospital retains its research pedigree through its association with Imperial College School of Medicine and its own Northwick Park Institute of Medical Research.
In 2005, the hospital's 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:...
department was named as having one of the highest death rates in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
http://www.cmace.org.uk/getattachment/927cf18a-735a-47a0-9200-cdea103781c7/Saving-Mothers--Lives-2003-2005_full.aspx. During the period April 2002 to March 2004, the maternal death rate for the maternity unit was 74.2 per 100,000, 6.5 times the national average of 11.4 per 100,000, as reported by Cemach (Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health). A range of "special measures" designed to improve maternity services and public confidence in the services was agreed with the Trust and these were all complied with within a year.
According to Dr Foster
Dr Foster
Dr Foster is a provider of healthcare information in the United Kingdom, monitoring the performance of the National Health Service and providing information to the public...
's Hospital Guide (published on 17 November 2008) Northwick Park's mortality rates are among the best in the United Kingdom and The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages the hospital, is one of the 'most improved' NHS trusts.
Healthcare Commission report
Report into maternal deaths at Northwick Park HospitalOn 13 March 2006, six people in a drug trial
TGN1412
TGN1412 is the working name of an immunomodulatory drug which was withdrawn from development after inducing severe inflammatory reactions in the first human subjects to receive the drug....
at the independent Parexel
Parexel
PAREXEL International is a contract research organization , based in Lowell, Massachusetts and founded in 1982 by Josef H. von Rickenbach and Anne Sayigh. It provides services for companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, including consulting, clinical studies...
drug trial unit (which is not run by The North West London Hospitals NHS Trust) became severely unwell following administration of TGN1412
TGN1412
TGN1412 is the working name of an immunomodulatory drug which was withdrawn from development after inducing severe inflammatory reactions in the first human subjects to receive the drug....
and were transferred to the intensive therapy unit at Northwick Park. Affected patients developed multi-organ failure and required intensive medical support by the critical care team at Northwick Park, led by Dr Ganesh Suntharalingam. All the patients subsequently survived and the last one was discharged in June 2006.
On 11 February 2009 a fire started in the basement of the hospital in an electrical switch room, causing parts of the ward block to be evacuated for a time. No patients were harmed, and the switch room has now been replaced, with all services back to normal. The hospital was given a Health Service Journal
Health Service Journal
Health Service Journal is a weekly news print title and website on the British National Health Service, healthcare management and health policy....
good management award for the way in which the incident was handled.
Contact Details
Postal address:- Northwick Park Hospital
- Watford Road
- HARROW
- HA1 3UJ
Telephone:
020 8864 3232
(International +44 20 8864 3232)