Musgrave Park Hospital
Encyclopedia
Musgrave Park Hospital is a regional specialist hospital, managed by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust in Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. It specialises in orthopaedics, rheumatology, sports medicine and rehabilitation of patients of all ages. These specialties are spread out across a large site in the leafy suburbs of South Belfast. The Hospital is named after the 48 acres (194,249.3 m²) of adjacent municipal parkland known as Musgrave Park, first opened to the public in 1920.
were constructed on the site of the current hospital during the Second World War
by the American army. They were a temporary base for soldiers preparing to take part in the Normandy landings. They have housed various hospital departments in their 44-year history and have only recently been demolished to make way for the new Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit.
The hospital has played its part in the history of the troubles
. On Monday 15 December 1980, Sean McKenna, one of the original seven hunger strikers
was moved to Musgrave Park Hospital.
In November 1991, a bomb planted by the Provisional IRA exploded in the Military Wing at Musgrave Park hospital. Two soldiers were killed (one Royal Army Medical Corps, the other Royal Corps of Transport), and 11 other people were injured, among them a five-year-old girl and a baby of four months. The 20 lb (9.1 kg) of Semtex exploded in a service tunnel connecting the Withers block, containing orthopaedic and children's wards and the Military Wing. The dead and injured were watching a rugby match on television in the Military Wing's social club.
The trust works in collaboration with 7 other specialist orthopaedic providers within the NHS in England as park of the Specialist Orthopaedic Alliance
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It specialises in orthopaedics, rheumatology, sports medicine and rehabilitation of patients of all ages. These specialties are spread out across a large site in the leafy suburbs of South Belfast. The Hospital is named after the 48 acres (194,249.3 m²) of adjacent municipal parkland known as Musgrave Park, first opened to the public in 1920.
History
Nissen HutsNissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
were constructed on the site of the current hospital during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by the American army. They were a temporary base for soldiers preparing to take part in the Normandy landings. They have housed various hospital departments in their 44-year history and have only recently been demolished to make way for the new Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit.
The hospital has played its part in the history of the troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. On Monday 15 December 1980, Sean McKenna, one of the original seven hunger strikers
1981 Irish hunger strike
The 1981 Irish hunger strike was the culmination of a five-year protest during The Troubles by Irish republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest began as the blanket protest in 1976, when the British government withdrew Special Category Status for convicted paramilitary prisoners...
was moved to Musgrave Park Hospital.
In November 1991, a bomb planted by the Provisional IRA exploded in the Military Wing at Musgrave Park hospital. Two soldiers were killed (one Royal Army Medical Corps, the other Royal Corps of Transport), and 11 other people were injured, among them a five-year-old girl and a baby of four months. The 20 lb (9.1 kg) of Semtex exploded in a service tunnel connecting the Withers block, containing orthopaedic and children's wards and the Military Wing. The dead and injured were watching a rugby match on television in the Military Wing's social club.
The trust works in collaboration with 7 other specialist orthopaedic providers within the NHS in England as park of the Specialist Orthopaedic Alliance
Hospital Services
- The Orthopaedics (Withers Wards) emphasis makes the hospital one of the leading orthopaedic and musculoskeletal centres of excellence in all of Europe. It consists of 6 orthopaedic wards; 4 adult, 1 children and 1 ward specialising in spinal injuries. The wards are names for Mr. J Withers, orthopaedic surgeon and one of the founders of the Northern Ireland Council for Orthopaedic Development.
- The RheumatologyRheumatologyRheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Clinicians who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists...
Unit treats people with bone and joint disease. It is the leading centre for the treatment of rheumatic disease in Northern Ireland. The Eastern Health and Social Services Board (EHSSB) are currently making plans to relocate Adult Rheumatology services to the City HospitalBelfast City HospitalThe Belfast City Hospital located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a 900-bed modern university teaching hospital providing local acute services and key regional specialities. Its distinctive tower block dominates the Belfast skyline being the fourth tallest storeyed building in Ireland...
and the Paediatric services to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick ChildrenRoyal Belfast Hospital for Sick ChildrenThe Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children is a specialized government children's hospital and medical centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
. - Direct Access AHPAllied health professionsAllied health professions are clinical health care professions distinct from dentistry, nursing and medicine. One estimate reported allied health professionals make up 60 percent of the total health workforce...
Services - High quality Diagnostic Imaging ServicesMedical imagingMedical imaging is the technique and process used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science...
including a new (second) full-body MRI scanner which aims to scan an additional 5,500 patients each year. - The Duke of Connaught Unit is a Medical Unit primarily serving military personnel based in Northern Ireland.
Rehabilitation
- Meadowlands is a rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
unit which specialises in Care of Old PeopleGeriatricsGeriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or...
. It has a particular focus on the rehabilitation of patients following fractures. - The MITRE Trust Rehabilitation Unit (MRU) was officially opened in May 2005 by Ireland Rugby player, David Humphreys. The 40,000 ft² building cost £3.5 million to build and is purpose-built to provide regional orthopaedic and rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
physiotherapy services. Musgrave Park also boasts a custom hip-manufacturing unit on-site, one of only five such facilities in the world. - The MITRE Rehabilitation Unit also houses the only public health Sports MedicineSports medicineSports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise...
service in Northern Ireland. - The Regional Disablement Services provide Limb Fitting Services, the Northern Ireland Wheelchair Service, the Rehabilitation Engineering Centre, the Regional Communications Advice Centre and the Independent Living Centre.
- The Spinal Cord Injury Unit (Withers Ward 1a) is the Northern Ireland centre for specialist care and rehabilitation of patients from recovering after illness or injury affecting the spinal injuriesSpinal cordThe spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system...
. - Northern Ireland's first Acquired Brain InjuryTraumatic brain injuryTraumatic brain injury , also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force traumatically injures the brain. TBI can be classified based on severity, mechanism , or other features...
Unit was opened by the Prince of WalesPrince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
and the Duchess of CornwallDuchess of CornwallThe Duchess of Cornwall is the title held by the wife of the Duke of Cornwall. Duke of Cornwall is a non-hereditary peerage held by the British Sovereign's eldest son and heir....
on the 14 May 2006. The £9 million pound state-of-the-art complex provides specialist care and intensive rehabilitation physiotherapy for 25 inpatients and 15 outpatients with traumatic brain injuries. These patients were previously being treated in Forster Green Hospital. The centre is also surrounded by high quality landscaped gardens designed to play a role in healing and patient rehabilitation.
External links
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
- MITRE Trust - A Charity set up in 1991 to improve patient services at Musgrave Park Hospital