Colchester Hospital

History

The hospital, then named Colchester District General Hospital, was opened by the Queen on 17 May 1985, at a cost of £16 million. At the time, it had nine wards and 283 beds, built in groups around landscaped courtyards.[1][2]

The hospital has been expanded a number of times since its opening, and several new buildings have been added. This includes the Gainsborough wing, which opened in 2000.[3]

In 2014, the trust announced that the nearby Essex County Hospital was due to close, and that some services currently provided there would transfer to Colchester General Hospital, including breast services and nuclear medicine. In preparation for this, construction began on a new diagnostic imaging centre, which opened in 2018, in time for the transfer of services. It houses three MRI scanners, one of which is wide bore, as well a PET-CT scanner, which will also be used by patients from the Ipswich and Chelmsford areas.[4][5]

In 2019, plans were approved to rebuild and extend the main entrance of the hospital. The Accident & Emergency department will also be expanded, and the narrow bridge across the lake in front of the hospital will also be replaced with a wider structure.[6]

Facilities

The hospital has a helipad, used by air ambulances and for military training.[7]

Teaching

The hospital serves as a teaching hospital for medical students from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and Norwich Medical School.[8][9]

Transport

Local bus routes 8, 84 and 84B, operated by Arriva, and 61, 65 and 68, operated by First, serve the hospital, with a bus stop located outside the main entrance. There is also a Park and Ride service, run by Essex County Council.[10][11]

The nearest railway station is Colchester on the Great Eastern Main Line, located 1.6 miles from the hospital.[10]

References
  1. "Mainstream" (PDF). Colchesterhospital.nhs.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  2. "Hospitals | British History Online". British-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  3. Will Lodge (27 April 2017). "Colchester hospital's £2m breast unit plans revealed | Latest Suffolk and Essex News - East Anglian Daily Times". Eadt.co.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  4. "Colchester Hospital University - Essex County Transfer of Services". Colchesterhospital.nhs.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. Lodge, Will. "Work to begin on diagnostic centre at Colchester General Hospital this week". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  6. "Nick Hume on his role at Colchester Hospital". Daily Gazette. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  7. "Rotor Aircraft Landing Facilities : Light / Medium Aircraft Report" (PDF). Associationofairambulances.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  8. "Key Facts - Medicine MBBS 5 Years (A100) - Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry". Queen Mary University of London. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  9. "Norwich Medical School". James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  10. East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (2018-07-01). "Get to Colchester Hospital | East Suffolk & North Essex NHS Foundation Trust". Esneft.nhs.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-24.
  11. "Colchester Park and Ride | Essex County Council". Essexhighways.org. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
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