William Harvey Hospital

The William Harvey Hospital is a hospital in Willesborough, Ashford, Kent, England.[3] It is one of the three main hospitals in the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust area and is named after William Harvey (1578–1657), the Folkestone-born doctor who discovered the blood circulatory system.[2][4]

William Harvey Hospital
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Main entrance to the hospital
Location within Kent
Geography
LocationAshford, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates51.1413°N 0.9142°E / 51.1413; 0.9142
Organisation
Care systemPublic NHS
FundingGovernment hospital
Services
Emergency departmentYes Accident & Emergency
Beds476[1]
History
Opened1977[2]
Links
Websiteekhuft.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/william-harvey-hospital/
ListsHospitals in England

History
Statue of William Harvey by the hospital's entrance

The hospital replaced an older hospital to the west of town that had been running since 1928.[5] It was planned as part of an overall plan to expand Ashford and the surrounding area by relocating people away from London in the late 1960s. The government decided the existing hospital infrastructure would not be able to cope, and set about locating a site away from Ashford town centre, with a proposed area of around 30 acres (12 ha) and a budget of £7–8 million.[6] Work started on building the hospital in 1973,[7] and it was commissioned in 1977[1] and opened in 1979.[2][8] The old hospital remained open as a smaller unit, and by the 1980s it had become a hospital for the elderly.[5]

The hospital currently employs about 2,500 people[9] and has 476 beds as of March 2012.[1] It includes a shop run by the Friends of the William Harvey Hospital, a volunteer-run society that provides basic goods and services to patients and visitors, and has raised £2.5 million in donations for the hospital.[10] The Rotary Suite of the hospital is run by Spencer Private Hospitals, providing private treatments such as cosmetic surgery.[11]

In April 2014 it was reported that the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust was looking for a partner to develop a private unit at the William Harvey site and enhance the returns from the Spencer private hospital on the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital site with a contract over the next 15 years.[12]

Criticism

In 1978, Keith Speed, MP for Ashford, criticised proposals that some services would require patients to be bussed back to the old hospital when William Harvey Hospital opened.[13]

In 2000, the press reported that staff shortages at the hospital were putting patient's lives at risk, which drew local MP Damian Green to criticise the management of the NHS in parliament.[14] Green continued to complain about the state of the hospital, noting in 2001 that patients had been waiting in the accident and emergency department for 24 hours.[15]

In 2013, hospital staff members threatened to quit due to proposed increases in parking permit charges from March 2014. In some cases, the cost of a permit was planned to rise by over £500. One staff member reported that "Every day on the news there's somebody slagging off the NHS. Nobody ever says anything nice about us. No wonder morale is low here."[16]

See also

References
  1. "Overview – William Harvey Hospital (Ashford)". NHS. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  2. "Domesday Reloaded: The William Harvey Hospital". BBC. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  3. "William Harvey Hospital". East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  4. Harris, Paul (2007). William Harvey: Folkestone's Most Famous Son. Lilburne Press. p. 22. ISBN 9781901167160.
  5. Lawrie, Les (2004). Ashford : A History & Celebration. Frances Firth. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-84589-611-9.
  6. Deedes, William (27 February 1970). "Ashford Hospital (site)". Hansard. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  7. Alison, Michael (8 August 1972). "William Harvey Hospital, Ashford". Hansard. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  8. Easdown, Martin (1996). A grand old lady: the history of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Folkestone, 1846–1996. The League of Friends of the Royal Victoria Hospital. p. 52. ISBN 9780952817703.
  9. "William Harvey Hospital". Ashford.towntalk.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  10. "Friends of the William Harvey Hospital". Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  11. "Amenity Beds". Spencer Private Hospitals. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  12. "East Kent FT seeks partner to 'reinvigorate' private offering". Health Service Journal. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  13. Speed, Keith (11 April 1978). "National Health Service (South-East Kent)". Hansard. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  14. Green, Damian (13 December 2000). "Engagement". Hansard. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  15. Green, Damian (28 February 2001). "NHS (East Kent)". Hansard. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  16. Scott, James (13 September 2013). "William Harvey Hospital staff threaten to quit over rise in car parking costs". Kent Messenger Express. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
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