Bishop Auckland Hospital

Bishop Auckland Hospital is a small NHS district general hospital serving the western part of County Durham, with a primarily rural catchment area centred on the Wear Valley. The hospital is managed by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.

Bishop Auckland Hospital
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Shown in County Durham
Geography
LocationCockton Hill Road,
Bishop Auckland,
County Durham, England
Coordinates54.6557°N 1.6784°W / 54.6557; -1.6784
Organisation
Care systemNHS
TypeDistrict general
Services
Beds145
History
Opened2002
Links
Websitewww.cddft.nhs.uk
ListsHospitals in England

History

The original hospital in the town, known as the Bishop Auckland Infirmary, was built in around 1910.[1] It joined the National Health Service as the Bishop Auckland General Hospital in 1948.[1]

The new hospital was procured under a Private Finance Initiative contract to replace the old Bishop Auckland General Hospital. It was built by Shepherd Building Group at a cost of £66 million and opened in June 2002.[2] Facilities management services are provided by ISS.[2]

The hospital had around 286 beds when it opened, but the number has since been cut substantially. The loss of the special care baby unit (SCBU) in October 2007 created much controversy.[3] There was also controversy over the 'decline of services' generally at the hospital at that time.[4][5][6]

In June 2009, it was announced that the hospital's children's ward would close from 1 July 2009, with all services transferred to Darlington and Durham, a decision that was attacked by campaigners against the hospital's downgrading, but defended by NHS management on the basis of paediatric specialists being "spread too thin".[7]

The hospital lost its acute services in October 2009. The reasons given for this by the trust were that services were being spread too thinly and there were insufficient doctors, money and resources to run three A&E departments within the trust efficiently.[8] However opponents to this view argued that the downgrading of emergency services meant that people in the Wear Valley area would have to travel significantly further to access A&E services and that this could mean the difference between life and death. The local council spent much money on protesting against the closure of services at the hospital.[9]

Facilities

From October 2009 the hospital has a treatment centre for planned operations, a centre of excellence for hip and knee replacement and a maternity unit.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Auckland". Workhouses. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  2. "Bishop Auckland Hospital, UK". HICL. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  3. Hospital admits stillbirth mistakes at www.timesonline.co.uk (accessed 18 October 2007)
  4. "New hospital ward closure decision 'defies all logic'". The Northern Echo. 9 January 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  5. "Question mark hangs over the future of hospital ward". The Northern Echo. 27 July 2005. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
  6. Withdrawal of Local Facilities/Sources Archived 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine at www.healthdemocracy.org.uk. Retrieved on 18 October 2007.
  7. "Anger at closure of Bishop Auckland Hospital children's ward". Northern Echo. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  8. "Have YOUR say..." Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  9. "Vote to spend cash on hospital closure protest". The Northern Echo. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  10. "Bishop Auckland General Hospital". Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
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