Derriford Hospital

Coordinates: 50°24′58″N 4°06′51″W / 50.4162°N 04.1141°W / 50.4162; -04.1141

Derriford Hospital
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

The front entrance to the Hospital
Geography
Location Derriford, Plymouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom
Organisation
Care system Public NHS
Hospital type Teaching
Affiliated university Peninsula Medical School
Services
Emergency department Yes Accident & Emergency
Beds 900
History
Founded 9 June 1981 (official opening)
Links
Website http://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk
Lists Hospitals in England

Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust runs Derriford Hospital a large teaching hospital in Plymouth, England. The hospital serves Plymouth and nearby areas of Devon and Cornwall. It also provides tertiary cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery and renal transplant surgery for the whole of the South West Peninsula. It was designated a Regional Trauma Centre in 2013. A helipad capable of night operation was opened in 2015, to replace the existing daytime-only grass pad. The hospital is used for clinical training of medical students from the Peninsula Medical School which is maintained by the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter. It is one of five hospitals with an attached MOD hospital unit to cater to service personnel.

History

Plymouth has had several hospitals, dating back to the middle of the 19th century,[1] and in the 1950, there was a proposal for a single hospital for the Plymouth area. The regional hospital board decided that this would be built at Derriford, at the cost of £2 million (equivalent to £61,801,176 in 2015) The planned hospital was expected to have around 900 beds, and would be built service by service as the other hospitals around Plymouth are closed.[2]

Derriford Hospital officially opened in 1981 and became the primary hospital in Plymouth, with the other hospitals in the area closing.[3] in 2016, more than 48,000 people used the hospital each week, with 900 beds and 1000 car parking spaces. The bus terminal at the hospital is the second largest in Plymouth.[4]

Facilities

When Derriford Hospital opened, two wards were allocated to create a school for hospitalised children. The school remained open for 30 years, closing in 2011 when Plymouth Hospital and Outreach School was opened.[5] Derriford is a teaching hospital, linked to the Peninsula Medical School, and has a Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit integrated, including military personnel working in medical roles. The hospital includes specialist services, including pancreatic cancer surgery, plastic surgery and neonatal intensive care. In August 2011, a purpose built dialysis unit was added to the hospital.[4]

In 2012, the hospital opened the Peninsula Trauma Centre, receiving patients 400 by Air Ambulance each year. By 2015, a new helipad had been built at the hospital, at the cost of £1.7 million. The new helipad would be large enough to accept search and rescue helicopters, as well as being the first in the region to allow for night time landings.[6]

See also

References

  1. "The National Archives | Search the archives | Hospital Records| Details". www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  2. "One hospital for Plymouth area". Western Morning News. 5 June 1950. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  3. "FURTHER INFORMATION FOR RECORD REF: 1074". Plymouth City Council. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Where we provide care:Derriford Hospital". Plymouth Hospitals. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  5. "FURTHER INFORMATION FOR RECORD REF: 1601". Plymouth City Council. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  6. "Derriford Hospital's new £1.7million helipad is launched". Plymouth Herald. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
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