Crawley Hospital
Encyclopedia
Crawley Hospital is a National Health Service
hospital
in Crawley
, a town and borough
in West Sussex
, England. Since 2006 it has been part of the West Sussex Primary Care Trust
, which has overall management responsibility. Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust also provides some services. The hospital is located in the West Green neighbourhood of Crawley, near the town centre.
until the Second World War. Until 1896, the only medical treatment available was offered in Horsham
, 7 miles (11.3 km) away, under the provisions of the various Poor Law
s. A cottage hospital
with six beds was established that year; by 1913 it had been extended to a nine-bed facility, and there were 12 beds and an operating theatre
in 1922. The hospital was paid for by public donations and fundraising; patients paid as much as they could afford for treatment.
These premises became too small, and a new "district hospital" was established at Ifield Lodge in West Green—then a mostly residential area west of Crawley High Street
—in the 1930s. In 1947, Crawley was selected as one of the sites for the Government's proposed New Towns
—planned communities designed to accommodate people moved out of London, which was overcrowded and war-damaged. The master plan allocated land in the southeast of the development area for a large new hospital, and the 1930s facility was expected to be demolished. Both Crawley Urban District Council (the forerunner of the present Borough Council) and the Development Corporation (the body responsible for planning and developing the New town) supported this proposal, but the regional health authority preferred building a new hospital on the existing site. A public inquiry
upheld this demand in 1958, and construction work on a new building started the following year.
The first part of the building was completed in 1961 or 1962. Extensions were built between 1966 and 1970 and in 1981.
Originally, a full range of services was provided: outpatient care, an Accident and Emergency
department and a maternity unit. Funding cuts and the opening of a new hospital in nearby Haywards Heath
affected the hospital's status, however, and for a period during the 1990s it was threatened with closure. In 1998 the NHS Trust responsible for the hospital merged with that of East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, Surrey
, which was developed as the main facility: services such as Accident and Emergency provision and maternity care were concentrated there over the next few years, and Crawley was downgraded to "sub-acute" status. By 2004, however, the Trust had provided services for cancer patients and children, and in July that year a new 24-hour "Walk-in Centre" was opened, offering an inferior level of service to the former Accident and Emergency department. This was changed in 2007 to an Urgent Treatment Centre. In 2008, paediatric surgery was moved to East Surrey Hospital.
An ambulance station
was built in 1963 on Exchange Road in Crawley town centre. It had moved to West Green by the 1980s, and is now operated by the South East Coast Ambulance Service
.
and noted for its Modernist
hospital designs, received the commission for the hospital. Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
, writing in 1965, praised the building, describing it as "easily the best building in Crawley up to date". It is a three- to four-storey reinforced concrete
structure clad with dark steel, white tiles, red glazed bricks and large areas of glass.
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, a town and borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England. Since 2006 it has been part of the West Sussex Primary Care Trust
NHS Primary Care Trust
An NHS primary care trust is a type of NHS trust, part of the National Health Service in England. PCTs commission primary, community and secondary care from providers. Until 31 may2011 they also provided community services directly. Collectively PCT are responsible for spending around 80% of the...
, which has overall management responsibility. Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust also provides some services. The hospital is located in the West Green neighbourhood of Crawley, near the town centre.
History
Crawley grew slowly as a small market townMarket town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
until the Second World War. Until 1896, the only medical treatment available was offered in Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, 7 miles (11.3 km) away, under the provisions of the various Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
s. A cottage hospital
Cottage Hospital
The original concept of a cottage hospital was a small rural hospital having up to 25 beds. One advantage of such a hospital in villages was the familiarity the local physician might have with their patient that may affect their treatment...
with six beds was established that year; by 1913 it had been extended to a nine-bed facility, and there were 12 beds and an operating theatre
Operating theatre
An operating theater was a non-sterile, tiered theater or amphitheater in which students and other spectators could watch surgeons perform surgery...
in 1922. The hospital was paid for by public donations and fundraising; patients paid as much as they could afford for treatment.
These premises became too small, and a new "district hospital" was established at Ifield Lodge in West Green—then a mostly residential area west of Crawley High Street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
—in the 1930s. In 1947, Crawley was selected as one of the sites for the Government's proposed New Towns
New towns in the United Kingdom
Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...
—planned communities designed to accommodate people moved out of London, which was overcrowded and war-damaged. The master plan allocated land in the southeast of the development area for a large new hospital, and the 1930s facility was expected to be demolished. Both Crawley Urban District Council (the forerunner of the present Borough Council) and the Development Corporation (the body responsible for planning and developing the New town) supported this proposal, but the regional health authority preferred building a new hospital on the existing site. A public inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
upheld this demand in 1958, and construction work on a new building started the following year.
The first part of the building was completed in 1961 or 1962. Extensions were built between 1966 and 1970 and in 1981.
Originally, a full range of services was provided: outpatient care, an Accident and Emergency
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
department and a maternity unit. Funding cuts and the opening of a new hospital in nearby Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
affected the hospital's status, however, and for a period during the 1990s it was threatened with closure. In 1998 the NHS Trust responsible for the hospital merged with that of East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, Surrey
Redhill, Surrey
Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area.-History:...
, which was developed as the main facility: services such as Accident and Emergency provision and maternity care were concentrated there over the next few years, and Crawley was downgraded to "sub-acute" status. By 2004, however, the Trust had provided services for cancer patients and children, and in July that year a new 24-hour "Walk-in Centre" was opened, offering an inferior level of service to the former Accident and Emergency department. This was changed in 2007 to an Urgent Treatment Centre. In 2008, paediatric surgery was moved to East Surrey Hospital.
An ambulance station
Ambulance station
An ambulance station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of ambulance vehicles, medical equipment, personal protective equipment, and other medical supplies. Most stations are made up of garage bays or a parking area, normally undercover...
was built in 1963 on Exchange Road in Crawley town centre. It had moved to West Green by the 1980s, and is now operated by the South East Coast Ambulance Service
South East Coast Ambulance Service
The South East Coast Ambulance Service is the NHS Ambulance Services Trust for south-eastern England, covering Kent , Surrey, West Sussex and East Sussex . It also covers a part of north-eastern Hampshire around Aldershot...
.
Architecture
The Yorke, Rosenberg and Mardall architectural partnership, led by F. R. S. YorkeF. R. S. Yorke
Francis Reginald Stevens Yorke , known professionally as F. R. S. Yorke and informally as Kay or K, was an English architect and author....
and noted for its Modernist
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
hospital designs, received the commission for the hospital. Architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
, writing in 1965, praised the building, describing it as "easily the best building in Crawley up to date". It is a three- to four-storey reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
structure clad with dark steel, white tiles, red glazed bricks and large areas of glass.