Springfield University Hospital

Coordinates: 51°26′19″N 0°10′36″W / 51.4385°N 0.1766°W / 51.4385; -0.1766

Springfield University Hospital
South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust
Springfield Hospital main building
Shown in Wandsworth
Geography
Location Tooting, London, England, United Kingdom
Organisation
Care system NHS England
Hospital type Psychiatric
Affiliated university St George's, University of London
Services
History
Founded 1840
Links
Website http://www.swlstg-tr.nhs.uk
Lists Hospitals in England

Springfield University Hospital (formerly the Springfield Asylum) is a psychiatric hospital in Tooting, South London and also the headquarters of the South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.[1]

History

Information card for ceremony to celebrate the opening of the New Infirmary block on 7 July 1932.

The hospital opened as the Surrey County Pauper Lunatic Asylum in 1840.[2] The original building was a grand symmetrical red brick Tudor-style composition enclosing a large courtyard, built to the designs of Edward Lapidge, the county surveyor.[3] A purpose-built chapel was added in 1881.[4] It came under the management of Middlesex County Council in 1888 and was re-named the Wandsworth Asylum.[4]

During the First World War it became the Springfield War Hospital and, after the war, it became the Springfield Mental Hospital.[4] A new infirmary block to treat mentally ill patients who were also physically ill opened in July 1932.[4] During the Second World War a serious bout of dysentery broke out at the hospital.[4] It joined the National Health Service in 1948.[4]

It was one of the hospitals investigated in 1967 as a result of the publication of Barbara Robb's book "Sans Everything". The committee found that at least two of the charge nurses showed themselves prone to outbursts of ill-temper which expressed itself in violence.[5]

In 2004 John Barrett, a paranoid schizophrenic, walked out of the hospital and stabbed Dennis Finnegan, a cyclist, to death.[6]

At its heyday the hospital had 2,000 patients but is now reduced to under 300 inpatients. Much of the original hospital building is now disused, and there are plans to convert this to a residential development, "Springfield Village".[4] Proceeds are being used to create new state of the art mental health centres at Springfield and at Tolworth Hospital in Surbiton.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Springfield University Hospital". South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust]. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "Hospitals". Derelict London.
  3. ↑ Historic England. "Details from image database (206991)". Images of England. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Springfield University Hospital". Lost Hospitals of London. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Part 6 of Findings and Recommendations Following Enquiries into Allegations Concerning the Care of Elderly Patients in Certain Hospitals". Cmnd. 3687. HMSO. July 1968. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Mental care of killer condemned". BBC. 16 November 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Springfield hospital redevelopment to go ahead despite protests". Evening Standard. 22 June 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  8. ↑ "Bidders day for £160m London hospital upgrade". Construction Enquirer. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
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