Warrington & Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Encyclopedia
Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was created on 1 December 2008 from what was formerly known as North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust. The trust comprises Warrington Hospital, Halton Hospital in Runcorn
and Houghton Hall
in Warrington
and is responsible for a budget of around £200 million per annum.
4100 staff work across the hospitals and provide access to care for a population of over 500,000 people.
with over 500 beds and around 3000 staff. Its services include 24 hour emergency care, maternity care and complex surgery. The accident and emergency department sees over 95,000 patients annually, and over 3,300 babies are born each year in the maternity unit. It is located in Bewsey
, just outside of Warrington town centre.
Warrington General Hospital was created from the workhouse
in 1898. In 1929 it was renamed Warrington Borough Hospital and to this day is referred to as the Borough by many people. There were two other hospitals on the site; Aikin Street (an infectious diseases hospital) and Whitecross Hospital, which was run by the military.
In 1973 a decision was taken to merge all three hospitals into Warrington District General Hospital. The current hospital has grown in four stages since then.
In 1993 the government decided to separate the role of health authorities and hospitals and the hospital was handed over from Warrington Health Authority to the newly formed Warrington Hospital NHS Trust. North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust was formed by the merger of Warrington Hospital NHS Trust and Halton General Hospital NHS Trust in 2001.
The hospital has undergone significant development over recent years with a rebuilt accident and emergency and coronary care unit and refurbishment of most of the wards. A new critical care unit costing £6.25 million opened in February 2009 and in late 2009 a new clinical decisions area next to the A&E department was started.
Halton Health Authority passed control of the hospital to the newly formed Halton General Hospitals NHS Trust in 1993. In 2001 North Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust was formed by the merger of Halton General Hospital NHS Trust and Warrington Hospital NHS Trust.
In 2006 a reconfiguration of services saw the trust's emergency and acute medical care work centralised at Warrington Hospital and planned surgical work move to Halton General. Although Halton has never had a full accident and emergency department it retains its minor injuries unit for basic urgent care needs.
A new operating theatre opened at the hospital in 2007 to provide extra surgical services. In 2008 new step down care wards, a renal dialysis unit and an expanded chemotherapy centre opened.
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
and Houghton Hall
Houghton Hall
Houghton Hall is a country house in Norfolk, England. It was built for the de facto first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and it is a key building in the history of Palladian architecture in England...
in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
and is responsible for a budget of around £200 million per annum.
4100 staff work across the hospitals and provide access to care for a population of over 500,000 people.
Warrington Hospital
Warrington Hospital is an acute district general hospitalGeneral hospital
A general hospital is a type of medical facility which is set up to deal with many kinds of disease and injury.General hospital may also refer to:*General Hospital, an American soap opera broadcast since 1963...
with over 500 beds and around 3000 staff. Its services include 24 hour emergency care, maternity care and complex surgery. The accident and emergency department sees over 95,000 patients annually, and over 3,300 babies are born each year in the maternity unit. It is located in Bewsey
Bewsey
Bewsey and Whitecross is a ward to the west of the town centre of Warrington, England . The town's General Hospital is within the ward. The area is served by the 16/16A bus route from Dallam to Warrington. In terms of other facilities the Sankey Valley Park runs through Bewsey, and there is a...
, just outside of Warrington town centre.
Warrington General Hospital was created 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...
in 1898. In 1929 it was renamed Warrington Borough Hospital and to this day is referred to as the Borough by many people. There were two other hospitals on the site; Aikin Street (an infectious diseases hospital) and Whitecross Hospital, which was run by the military.
In 1973 a decision was taken to merge all three hospitals into Warrington District General Hospital. The current hospital has grown in four stages since then.
- Aikin Street was demolished in the 1970s to make way for Appleton Wing of the current hospital (where the A&E, medical wards and theatres are located) which was phase A of the new General.
- Burtonwood Wing opened in 1988 with the stroke, elderly care and children's wards.
- The main building of Whitecross Hospital was demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the Croft Wing which opened in 1994 and houses maternity and women's services.
- The Daresbury Wing opened in 1998 and is surgical unit.
In 1993 the government decided to separate the role of health authorities and hospitals and the hospital was handed over from Warrington Health Authority to the newly formed Warrington Hospital NHS Trust. North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust was formed by the merger of Warrington Hospital NHS Trust and Halton General Hospital NHS Trust in 2001.
The hospital has undergone significant development over recent years with a rebuilt accident and emergency and coronary care unit and refurbishment of most of the wards. A new critical care unit costing £6.25 million opened in February 2009 and in late 2009 a new clinical decisions area next to the A&E department was started.
Halton Hospital
In September 1976, Halton General Hospital was opened in Runcorn. It was a newly built 70 inpatient bed hospital, next door to Runcorn Shopping City (now called Halton Lea Shopping) and part of the development of Runcorn New Town.Halton Health Authority passed control of the hospital to the newly formed Halton General Hospitals NHS Trust in 1993. In 2001 North Cheshire Hospital NHS Trust was formed by the merger of Halton General Hospital NHS Trust and Warrington Hospital NHS Trust.
In 2006 a reconfiguration of services saw the trust's emergency and acute medical care work centralised at Warrington Hospital and planned surgical work move to Halton General. Although Halton has never had a full accident and emergency department it retains its minor injuries unit for basic urgent care needs.
A new operating theatre opened at the hospital in 2007 to provide extra surgical services. In 2008 new step down care wards, a renal dialysis unit and an expanded chemotherapy centre opened.