Darent Valley Hospital
Encyclopedia
Darent Valley Hospital is a 478 bed, acute district general hospital in Dartford
, Kent
, England
.
The hospital has an Emergency Department
alongside an Urgent Care Centre
.
The hospital is run by the Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust with an annual budget of about £121 million, and employs 1,900 staff.
as "Darenth School" in 1878. The Regional Health Board agreed to close Darenth in 1973, but the last patients did not leave until 1988. The vast Victorian complex was then demolished.
The new buildings were the first hospital to be procured under a Private Finance Initiative
Contract. They were designed by Nightingale Paulley Associates and built by Carillion. The new hospital opened in September 2000, to replace the services previously provided at West Hill Hospital, Dartford and Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford.
On 2 January 2007, a new on-site Heart Centre
was opened.
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The hospital has an Emergency Department
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...
alongside an Urgent Care Centre
Urgent care
Urgent care is the delivery of ambulatory care in a facility dedicated to the delivery of medical care outside of a hospital emergency department, usually on an unscheduled, walk-in basis. Urgent care centers are primarily used to treat patients who have an injury or illness that requires immediate...
.
The hospital is run by the Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust with an annual budget of about £121 million, and employs 1,900 staff.
History
The hospital stands on the site of the former Darenth Park Hospital, originally founded by the Metropolitan Asylums BoardMetropolitan Asylums Board
The Metropolitan Asylums Board was established under Poor Law legislation, to deal with London's sick poor. It was established by the Metropolitan Poor Act 1867 and was wound up in 1930, its functions being transferred to the London County Council. Despite its name, the MAB was not involved in...
as "Darenth School" in 1878. The Regional Health Board agreed to close Darenth in 1973, but the last patients did not leave until 1988. The vast Victorian complex was then demolished.
The new buildings were the first hospital to be procured under a Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
Contract. They were designed by Nightingale Paulley Associates and built by Carillion. The new hospital opened in September 2000, to replace the services previously provided at West Hill Hospital, Dartford and Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford.
On 2 January 2007, a new on-site Heart Centre
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
was opened.