Purley War Memorial Hospital

Purley War Memorial Hospital is a community hospital in Purley, England. It is managed by Croydon Health Services NHS Trust.[1]

Purley War Memorial Hospital
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
A picture of the entrance to the hospital, with a welcome sign in the foreground and the hospital buildings in the background.
The hospital as viewed from the entrance road.
Map
Geography
Location856 Brighton Road, Purley, Croydon, England
Coordinates51°20′25″N 0°06′52″W / 51.3402°N 0.1145°W / 51.3402; -0.1145
Organisation
Care systemNHS England
TypeCommunity
Services
Emergency departmentNo
History
Opened1909
Links
Websitewww.nhs.uk/services/hospital/purley-war-memorial-hospital/X2262

History

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The Purley and District Cottage Hospital was constructed on the site between 1906 and 1909, when it was officially opened by Princess Helena.[2] The original hospital building was based on an old private home, and had 8 hospital beds. [3] The British Red Cross opened a building on the site in 1919 as a Curative Post for ex-servicemen from the First World War, [2] which by 1927 would become the hospital's outpatients department.[3] Following the end of the war, the site was upgraded and reopened in 1922 as the Purley and District War Memorial Hospital with a total of 22 hospital beds.[3] Further expansions were curtailed by the outbreak of the Second World War, although a new Outpatients Department was constructed in 1940 so it could act as a First Aid Post for the local Civil Defence group.[2][3]

Following the war, the hospital joined the National Health Service upon its creation in 1948[3] and continued to expand, housing 55 beds in 1962 as well as a Physiotherapy Department, and an X-Ray Department, and a Casualty Department which continued to operate until 1989. [2][3] However, by 1984 the hospital was designated a geriatric hospital and no longer had acute beds.[2] In 1996, the hospital became part of the newly-formed Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust (merged in 2010 into the current Croydon Health Services NHS Trust) and closed all its wards in 2004, following the completion of the Jubilee Wing at the larger Mayday Hospital (now Croydon University Hospital) in the north of the borough.[2][4]

In 2012, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust announced a refurbishment of the hospital, including the long disused wards at the rear of the grounds.[5] The refurbishment cost £11.5 million and the hospital reopened to the public in July 2013.[6]

Facilities

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Croydon Health Services

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The refurbished hospital continues to provide various outpatient services, including breast cancer screening, diabetic medicine clinics, and community midwifery services.[7] The new site also contains an expanded imaging service, offering ultrasound, X-ray and DEXA scanning services.[8]

In 2017, the Minor Injuries Unit at the hospital was converted into a "GP Hub", which is able to provide same-day GP appointments to those who cannot get one at their registered practice, as well as continuing to accept walk-ins for minor illnesses and injuries.[9]

In 2022, the Purley Elective Centre opened as a surgical hub for low complexity surgical procedures, such as some hand surgery or gynaecological procedures.[10][11] Similarly, in 2024, the Purley Community Diagnostic Centre was opened to provide better access to diagnostic testing, such as imaging and blood testing.[12] Both of these were part of larger government schemes designed to help clear the waiting list backlogs for procedures following the COVID-19 pandemic in England.

Moorfields Eye Hospital

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Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust run a community eye clinic out of the hospital, focusing on diagnosis and outpatient management of retinal disease and glaucoma.[13] More involved care, including eye surgery, is conducted at the Moorfields Eye Centre at Croydon University Hospital.[14]

Keston Medical Practice

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The hospital is one of the sites of the Keston and Moorings Medical Practice, part of the KMP Primary Care Network. The practice moved there in 2014 after vacating their previous surgery on Lansdowne Road.[8][15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS. "Our hospitals". Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Purley and District War Memorial Hospital". Lost Hospitals of London. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Purley War Memorial Hospital - Croydon Archives: Collections". archives.croydon.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  4. ^ "Mayday University Hospital". Lost Hospitals of London. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  5. ^ "Refurbishment Plans of Purley Hospital Unveiled". Design Curial. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2024-12-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "New facilities at Purley War Memorial Hospital eases pressures, say staff". Your Local Guardian. 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  7. ^ "Purley War Memorial Hospital - Departments and services". NHS website for England.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ a b "New facilities at Purley War Memorial Hospital eases pressures, say staff". Your Local Guardian. 2013-11-07. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  9. ^ Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS. "Purley War Memorial Hospital". Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  10. ^ insidecroydon (2022-08-27). "Mayday and Purley hospitals to get extra operating theatres". Inside Croydon. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  11. ^ Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS. "Surgical hub to expand across Croydon to help bust COVID-19 backlogs | Trust news". Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  12. ^ Trust, Croydon Health Services NHS. "New 'one stop shop' for NHS testing brings care closer to home for Purley residents | Trust news". Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  13. ^ "Moorfields, Purley - Moorfields Eye Hospital". www.moorfields.nhs.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  14. ^ "Moorfields, Croydon University Hospital - Moorfields Eye Hospital". www.moorfields.nhs.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  15. ^ "Purley Medical Practice - Care Quality Commission". www.cqc.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
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