Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Encyclopedia
Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service
hospital within Aylesbury Urban Area
to the south of the town of Aylesbury
, near the village of Stoke Mandeville
in Buckinghamshire. It is part of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
The hospital's National Spinal Injuries Centre is one of the largest specialist spinal units in the world, and the pioneering rehabilitation work carried out there by Sir Ludwig Guttmann led to the development of the Paralympic Games
.
was very badly hit by the cholera
epidemic that swept across England in the early part of the decade, and so a cholera hospital was established on the parish border between Stoke Mandeville and Aylesbury. It was established out of monies provided by both parishes, but was built separately from both places as cholera was very contagious and the inhabitants were anxious to avoid infection.
By the start of the Twentieth century the hospital had developed into an Infectious Diseases Hospital, treating all infections, not just cholera. However the town of Aylesbury was growing, and the distance between the town and the hospital was getting smaller, and before long people with infectious diseases could no longer be treated at the hospital because the risk of infecting the local community was too great.
During the Second World War the hospital was used to treat military casualties, and was expanded during this time to cater for the extra patients, so as to support the nearby Royal Bucks Hospital, in the centre of Aylesbury. It was during this time that spinal injuries were first treated at the hospital.
In 1948 the NHS
was founded and all operations were moved from the Royal Bucks to Stoke Mandeville, making it the main hospital in Aylesbury. Aylesbury had, by this time, grown to such an extent that the hospital became a part of the town.
On the day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics
in London, Stoke Mandeville Hospital organised a sports competition for British World War Two veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The games were held again at the same location in 1952, and Dutch veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its kind. These Stoke Mandeville Games have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games
. The Paralympics were subsequently officialised as a quadrennial event tied to the Olympic Games, and the first official Paralympic Games, no longer open solely to war veterans, were held in Rome in 1960
.
Throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s the hospital was added to extensively and the new Accident and Emergency Unit was opened. Also during this period Stoke Mandeville Stadium
was developed alongside the hospital and is the National Centre for Disability Sport in the United Kingdom, enhancing the hospital as a world centre for paraplegics and spinal injuries.
In the 1970s and 1980s the hospital received support from its biggest campaigner Jimmy Savile
who gave it a high profile on his television appearances, and raised an immense amount of money for the hospital. He was knight
ed for the amount of time he donated. The hospital was also visited during this time by many distinguished guests, particularly Diana, Princess of Wales
, who opened the new International Spinal Injuries Centre when it was refurbished.
Today the hospital is still growing, with a new maternity unit opened recently, and plans to refurbish the Accident and Emergency Unit and further extend the hospital.
New wings have been built in recent years. These have been funded by the Private Finance Initiative
(PFI). The PFI is a scheme where the Government contract a private company to design, build, finance and manage a hospital, school, prison or other public service. The company that does this is usually given a 30 year contract. The company that is contracted at Stoke Mandeville Hospital is the multinational Sodexho.
Sodexho is also contracted to provide housekeeping, domestics, catering, vending, portering, non-emergency patient transport, telecommunications, car parking, security, maintenance, help desk (non-technical) and switchboard. All of the portering, catering, domestic, maintenance, security and help desk staff are employed by Sodexho rather than the NHS Trust. Sodexho also employ a number of managers at Stoke Mandeville.
The table above shows the adult wards at Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Stoke Mandeville hospital hopes to help educate children in first aid and runs regular school tours.
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...
hospital within Aylesbury Urban Area
Aylesbury Urban Area
The Aylesbury Urban Area is defined by the Office for National Statistics as a conurbation in central Buckinghamshire, England. It had a population of 69,021 . The largest population centre is Aylesbury itself at 56,392.-Pre 20th Century:...
to the south of the town of Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, near the village of Stoke Mandeville
Stoke Mandeville
Stoke Mandeville is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district to the south-east of Aylesbury in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. Although a separate civil parish, the village falls within the Aylesbury Urban Area...
in Buckinghamshire. It is part of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
The hospital's National Spinal Injuries Centre is one of the largest specialist spinal units in the world, and the pioneering rehabilitation work carried out there by Sir Ludwig Guttmann led to the development of the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
.
History
The hospital started out in life in the 1830s. The village of Stoke MandevilleStoke Mandeville
Stoke Mandeville is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district to the south-east of Aylesbury in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. Although a separate civil parish, the village falls within the Aylesbury Urban Area...
was very badly hit by the cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic that swept across England in the early part of the decade, and so a cholera hospital was established on the parish border between Stoke Mandeville and Aylesbury. It was established out of monies provided by both parishes, but was built separately from both places as cholera was very contagious and the inhabitants were anxious to avoid infection.
By the start of the Twentieth century the hospital had developed into an Infectious Diseases Hospital, treating all infections, not just cholera. However the town of Aylesbury was growing, and the distance between the town and the hospital was getting smaller, and before long people with infectious diseases could no longer be treated at the hospital because the risk of infecting the local community was too great.
During the Second World War the hospital was used to treat military casualties, and was expanded during this time to cater for the extra patients, so as to support the nearby Royal Bucks Hospital, in the centre of Aylesbury. It was during this time that spinal injuries were first treated at the hospital.
In 1948 the NHS
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...
was founded and all operations were moved from the Royal Bucks to Stoke Mandeville, making it the main hospital in Aylesbury. Aylesbury had, by this time, grown to such an extent that the hospital became a part of the town.
On the day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
in London, Stoke Mandeville Hospital organised a sports competition for British World War Two veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The games were held again at the same location in 1952, and Dutch veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its kind. These Stoke Mandeville Games have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
. The Paralympics were subsequently officialised as a quadrennial event tied to the Olympic Games, and the first official Paralympic Games, no longer open solely to war veterans, were held in Rome in 1960
1960 Summer Paralympics
The 1960 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games...
.
Throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s the hospital was added to extensively and the new Accident and Emergency Unit was opened. Also during this period Stoke Mandeville Stadium
Stoke Mandeville Stadium
Stoke Mandeville Stadium is the National Centre for Disability Sport in the United Kingdom. It is sited alongside Stoke Mandeville Hospital near Stoke Mandeville and Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire...
was developed alongside the hospital and is the National Centre for Disability Sport in the United Kingdom, enhancing the hospital as a world centre for paraplegics and spinal injuries.
In the 1970s and 1980s the hospital received support from its biggest campaigner Jimmy Savile
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...
who gave it a high profile on his television appearances, and raised an immense amount of money for the hospital. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed for the amount of time he donated. The hospital was also visited during this time by many distinguished guests, particularly Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, who opened the new International Spinal Injuries Centre when it was refurbished.
Today the hospital is still growing, with a new maternity unit opened recently, and plans to refurbish the Accident and Emergency Unit and further extend the hospital.
New wings have been built in recent years. These have been funded by the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
(PFI). The PFI is a scheme where the Government contract a private company to design, build, finance and manage a hospital, school, prison or other public service. The company that does this is usually given a 30 year contract. The company that is contracted at Stoke Mandeville Hospital is the multinational Sodexho.
Sodexho is also contracted to provide housekeeping, domestics, catering, vending, portering, non-emergency patient transport, telecommunications, car parking, security, maintenance, help desk (non-technical) and switchboard. All of the portering, catering, domestic, maintenance, security and help desk staff are employed by Sodexho rather than the NHS Trust. Sodexho also employ a number of managers at Stoke Mandeville.
Facilities
| Ward Number/Name | Speciality |
|---|---|
| 1 | Orthopaedic rehab |
| 2 | Old age rehab |
| 4 | Trauma and Orthopaedics |
| 5 | Acute medical |
| 6 | Acute surgical |
| 7 | Plastic surgery |
| 8 | Neuro rehab |
| 9 | Gynae |
| 10/Emergency assessment unit (EAU) | Emergency admissions |
| 20 | Acute medical |
| 22 | Discharge lounge, DVT clinic, overflow |
| Eye ward | Ophthalmology and overflow |
The table above shows the adult wards at Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Stoke Mandeville hospital hopes to help educate children in first aid and runs regular school tours.