University Hospital Wishaw (formerly known as Wishaw General Hospital) is a district general hospital in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, situated between the areas of Craigneuk to the north and Netherton to the south. The hospital, managed by NHS Lanarkshire, is 11 miles (18 kilometres) southeast of Glasgow.
| University Hospital Wishaw | |
|---|---|
| NHS Lanarkshire | |
 University Hospital Wishaw | |
  Shown in North Lanarkshire | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 55°46′25″N 3°56′31″W / 55.77361°N 3.94194°W |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Public NHS |
| Type | District General |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes: Accident and Emergency |
| Beds | 633 |
| History | |
| Opened | 29 May 2001 |
| Links | |
| Website | Wishaw General Hospital |
| Lists | Hospitals in Scotland |
History
editThe hospital was procured under a Private Finance Initiative contract to replace the ageing Law Hospital in November 1998. The works, which were designed by the Percy Thomas Partnership and undertaken by Sir Robert McAlpine[1] at a cost of £100 million,[2] were completed in February 2001.[3] The hospital was fully operation by the end of May 2001.[4]
In April 2006, NHS Lanarkshire issued its 'Picture of Health' document suggested the downgrading to two consultant-led A&E departments, with a choice between Monklands Hospital and Hairmyres Hospital for downgrading. The level two hospital would have a nurse-led Minor Injuries Unit, along with planned surgery, full diagnostic/outpatient services and general medicine. Eventually, Monklands Hospital was earmarked for downgrading. This would have resulted in NHS Lanarkshire having consultant-led accident and emergency departments only at Wishaw General Hospital and Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride.[5]
The decision to downgrade the hospital was widely criticised, with the former Home Secretary, John Reid MP, voicing his disapproval of the plans.[6] In September 2006, the plan was approved by Lewis MacDonald, Deputy Health and Community Care minister.[7][8] In May 2007, the Labour administration lost out to the Scottish National Party in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election and the decision was overturned by the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon. She demanded that NHS Lanarkshire find a way of keeping three fully functioning consultant-led A+E departments in Lanarkshire.[9] In 2009, NHS Lanarkshire developed seven possible combinations of keeping three A+E departments open; these were subsequently delivered for public scrutiny.[10]
In 2014, an Intensive Psychiatry Care Unit (IPCU) opened at the hospital.[11] In November 2017, NHS Lanarkshire renamed all three acute hospitals in the local area to reflect their new university teaching status.[12]
Facilities
edit
The hospital opened with 633 inpatient beds, a 56-bed day-case unit and a day hospital that could accommodate 45 service users.[13] Lanarkshire inpatient maternity services are located at the hospital (replacing the 1960s dedicated Bellshill Maternity Hospital, which thereafter closed).[4] It became the second-largest maternity unit in Scotland, delivering 5,500 babies each year.[14]
The hospital has a paediatric neonatal unit, an MRI scanner, elderly care and psychiatric day hospitals, and an emergency care unit containing an integrated 24-hour accident and emergency unit with 36-bed ward. The hospital is operated by NHS Lanarkshire along with two other district general hospitals in the area, University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie and University Hospital Hairmyres in East Kilbride. All three Lanarkshire hospitals have an accident and emergency department and specialist medical and surgical services are distributed across the sites. Maternity, gynaecology, paediatric, and all NHS Lanarkshire's inpatient orthopaedic trauma services are based in Wishaw.[15] Administered by NHS Lanarkshire,[14] Wishaw General Hospital serves a population of approximately 250,000 within the North Lanarkshire catchment area.[15]
Accessibility
editThe General Hospital lies around 1.2 kilometres (3⁄4 mile) from both Wishaw station (to the southeast) and Shieldmuir station (to the west).[16] Several local buses run along the adjacent Glasgow Road (A721) towards Motherwell with many of them entering the Hospital Grounds. [17]
References
edit- ^ "Who are Summit Healthcare?". Labour Party. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ "Wishaw General set to cost taxpayers £813 million after controversial PFI contract". Daily Record. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ Scotland's yards, Hospitality Design (on Findarticles.com), October 2001. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
- ^ a b "Strides to provide that perfect service". The Herald. 26 June 2001. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "A Picture of Health" (PDF). NHS Lanarkshire. Retrieved 20 January 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Reid attacks A&E closure decision". BBC News. 29 June 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- ^ "Lanarkshire loses A&E department". BBC News. 21 August 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- ^ "Letter on NHS Lanarkshire proposals for the future". Scottish Government. 21 August 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- ^ "A&E closure decisions overturned". BBC News. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- ^ Accident & Emergency Service Review, NHS Lanarkshire [dead link]
- ^ "New unit set up at Wishaw General". Motherwell Times. 23 March 2014. Archived from the original on 29 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ Tennant, Niki (28 November 2017). "Wishaw General renamed by NHS Lanarkshire to reflect new university status". Daily Record. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ "Opening brings health benefits". Herald Scotland. 26 June 2001. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Wishaw General Hospital". NHS Lanarkshire. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
- ^ a b "Wishaw General Hospital". NHS Education for Scotland. Archived from the original on 14 December 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ "Sheildmuir". National Rail. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ "Public Transport: University Hospital Wishaw". Moovit. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
External links
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Media related to University Hospital Wishaw at Wikimedia Commons