Southmead Hospital is a large 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....

, situated in the northern suburbs of Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, 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...

, part of the North Bristol NHS Trust

North Bristol NHS Trust

North Bristol NHS Trust is a National Health Service trust providing community healthcare and hospital services to Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. Hospital services are provided through Frenchay Hospital and Southmead Hospital...

.

The hospital opened in 1902 as a 64 bed workhouse

Workhouse

In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...

 for poor sick people. By 1911 there were 520 beds.

During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the facilities were used as an army hospital. The facilities reverted back to a workhouse in the early 1920s and were then greatly extended to accommodate all the sick poor.

In 1924, the Southmead Infirmary was built and was later renamed Southmead Hospital. The hospital has been greatly expanded and now covers 60 acres (242,811.6 m²).

In 2005 another expansion was planned which will include moving some services from Frenchay Hospital

Frenchay Hospital

Frenchay Hospital is a large hospital situated in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, England, part of the North Bristol NHS Trust....

 to the Southmead site. This will result in Frenchay Hospital being downgraded to a Community Hospital. The project should be finished in 2013. Full approval for the project was given by the NHS South West board in January 2009.

Southmead is served by local charity Freewheelers EVS

Freewheelers EVS

Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service is a registered charity based in South West England. The charity was founded in Weston-super-Mare in 1990....

, whose volunteers provide a free-of-charge motorcycle courier

Motorcycle courier

A motorcycle courier is a courier operating via a motorcycle or motor scooter. Motorcycle couriers are common in major urban centres, primarily in Europe, South America and Asia, but increasingly in North America.- History :...

 service between Southmead and other hospitals in the area.

Notable former medical staff include Geoffrey Tovey

Geoffrey Tovey

Geoffrey Harold Tovey CBE CBE, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, was a doctor whose scientific contributions in the field of haematology brought him an international reputation. He was also an expert in serology and founder and Director of the UK Transplant Service.-Childhood and early life:Geoffrey Harold Tovey...

, serologist and founder of the UK Transplant Service, which was initially based at the hospital.

External links

• North Bristol NHS Trust - Official hospital website
  
• http://www.superhospitalforbristol.nhs.uk/ - Official new hospital build progress website