Western General Hospital
The Western General Hospital (often abbreviated to simply ‘The Western General’) is a health facility at Crewe Road, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lothian.
Western General Hospital | |
---|---|
NHS Lothian | |
Clock Tower at the Western General Hospital | |
Shown in Edinburgh | |
Geography | |
Location | Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland |
Coordinates | 55.962142°N 3.234947°W |
Organisation | |
Care system | NHS Scotland |
Type | General Hospital |
Affiliated university | University of Edinburgh Medical School |
Services | |
Emergency department | Minor Injuries Unit only |
Beds | 570 |
History | |
Opened | 1868 |
Links | |
Website | Western General Hospital |
History
The hospital was designed by Peddie and Kinnear and opened as the Craigleith Hospital and Poorhouse in 1868.[1][2] During the First World War, the building was requisitioned by the War Office to create the 2nd Scottish General Hospital, a facility for the Royal Army Medical Corps to treat military casualties.[3] A nurses' home was added in 1935 and a pathology block was completed in 1939.[2] It joined the National Health Service in 1948 and a new library was completed in 1979.[2]
The first Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre opened on the Western General Hospital site in 1996.[4]
In June 2012 the Medicine for the Elderly services were transferred from the Royal Victoria Hospital to a new purpose-built facility known as the Royal Victoria Building at the Western General Hospital.[5]
A facility to treat young people with cancer aged 16 to 24 was opened in the Western General Hospital in December 2013.[6]
Services
The hospital has over 700 beds including day beds.[7] Although the Western no longer has an Accident and Emergency department, a nurse-led minor injuries unit has been operating on the site since 1994.[8]
The hospital serves as a base for the neurology and neurosurgery centre for south east Scotland ("Department of Clinical Neurosciences").[9] There is a major national cancer research and treatment centre at the hospital which was refurbished in 2007.[10]
References
- "Western General Hospital History". NHS Lothian. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Western General Hospital". Historic Hospitals. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- "Second Scottish General Hospital Craigleith". Archives Hub. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
- "Maggie's Edinburgh". Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Royal Victoria Building". NHS Lothian. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Duchess opens £1.35m cancer centre in Edinburgh". BBC News. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- "Western General Hospital (WGH)". NHS Lothian. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- "Minor injuries clinic is major asset to Capital". The Scotsman. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- "Celebrating the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the Western General Hospital". University of Edinburgh. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- "Chemotherapy and trials suite". Aitken Turnbull. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
External links
Media related to Western General Hospital, Edinburgh at Wikimedia Commons - Western General Hospital Official site