University Hospital of North Durham

University Hospital of North Durham is an acute care hospital built to replace the older Dryburn Hospital on the same site. It is managed by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.[1]

University Hospital of North Durham
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospital of North Durham
Shown in County Durham
Geography
LocationDurham, England
Coordinates54.78930°N 1.59339°W / 54.78930; -1.59339
Organisation
Care systemNHS
TypeDistrict general
Affiliated universityNewcastle University
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds523
History
Opened2001
Links
WebsiteUniversity Hospital of North Durham at cddft.nhs.uk
ListsHospitals in England

History

The hospital has its origins in the Dryburn Emergency Hospital which was established at Dryburn Hall, the former home of William Lloyd Wharton,[2] in 1940 during the Second World War.[3] After the war the establishment was expanded into a civilian facility known as Dryburn Hospital.[3]

A new hospital was procured under a Private Finance Initiative contract which was awarded to a consortium of Balfour Beatty and the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1998.[4] It was built by Balfour Beatty with an initial cost of £87 million and opened in 2001.[5] Facilities management services are provided by Engie.[6] Balfour Beatty subsequently sold their stake to Dalmore Capital in 2014.[7]

Services provided

The main hospital building contains the vast majority of the hospitals departments. It has a basement for pathology and pharmacy and three other floors, each consisting of a long main corridor with wards and departments on both sides. Most of the wards consist of four single beds in each room, as well as side rooms. A few buildings from the original "Dryburn Hospital" remain in operation. These buildings include Dryburn House which is used as the hospital doctor's residence.[8]

The hospital works in partnership with Bishop Auckland Hospital and Darlington Memorial Hospital. Cases relating to some of the departments not present in the University Hospital of North Durham (e.g. neurosurgery) are referred to the other hospitals for management.[9]

2014 report and response

In 2014 a BBC report identified that "out of 126 serious incidents when patients were delayed admission to hospitals for more than two hours, 71 happened at the University Hospital of North Durham".[10] The hospital trust subsequently announced they had earmarked £5.6million to invest into the emergency departments at Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham.[11]

That focus has resulted in improved patient perceptions[12] but a 2015 Care Quality Commission assessment of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust resulted in an overall "Requires Improvement" rating.[13]

A subsequent inspection undertaken in July 2019 and published the following December raised this rating to "Good".[14]

See also

References
  1. "County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust: Hospitals and Clinics". NHS Choices. NHS Choices. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  2. "Dryburn House in grounds of University Hospital of North Durham to be demolished". Chronicle Live. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  3. "Dryburn Hospital, Durham". National Archives. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  4. "Balfour Beatty turns a huge profit on building schools and hospitals". The Independent. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. "Crisis-hit hospital finds that private finance for NHS comes at a price". The Guardian. 23 July 2001. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  6. "University Hospital - North Durham". Engie. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  7. Armitage, Jim. "Balfour Beatty turns a huge profit on building schools and hospitals". The Independent. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  8. Historic England. "Dryburn House (1121437)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  9. "Paediatrics". County Durham Families Information Service. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  10. "Accident and emergency delays face thousands of patients". BBC News. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  11. Henderson, Vicki. "Hospital trust announces plans to spend £5.6m improving A&E in Darlington and Durham". The Northern Echo. thenorthernecho.co.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  12. "University Hospital of North Durham". NHS Choices. NHS. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  13. "Care Quality Commission Inspection Report". Care Quality Commission. NHS. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  14. "Care Quality Commission Inspection Report".
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