A long tradition of excellent care
Behind the welcome and care patients receive when they come to our hospital is a proud tradition of well over 100 years of local hospital services.
It was in 1887, to celebrate Queen Victoria's Jubilee, that a
public fund was started. A site for Southend's first hospital
was bought for £350 (where Warrior Square swimming pool now
stands). Built for £1,287.4s.6d Southend Victoria Hospital
opened in May 1888. By Christmas, with 8 beds and 2 cots, it
had treated 61 patients at an average weekly cost of 4s.6d
(22p).
A brief history of our hospital
- 1930 Building work commenced
- 1932 Hospital officially opened by Rt.
Hon Earl of Iveagh
- 1935 Fracture clinic established
- 1938 Average number of occupied beds for
1st quarter was 221. First modern anaesthetic machine purchased at
cost of £92
- 1939 Outbreak of World War 2. 408 beds
ready for service. 25,000 sandbags assembled in position. Plans
made for evacuation of hospital
- 1940 Food rationing introduced to
hospital
- 1945 VE day - double pay to any members
of staff required to remain on duty
- 1946 Two senior nurses (without late
night passes) were dismissed for returning to hospital
at 02.00 under the influence of alcohol
- 1947 First female doctor appointed to
the resident staff (Dr Catherine Johnstone). Visit by HRH Duchess
of Kent
- 1948 Number of consultants 24. Number of
resident medical staff 11. Hospital taken over by the Ministry of
Health under the newly-formed NHS
- 1960 Radio-isotope laboratory
opened
- 1962 Hydrotherapy pool opened
- 1966 Major extension (tower block)
started
- 1968 Intensive therapy unit opened
- 1969 Audiology clinic inaugurated. New
accident and emergency department opened
- 1970 Hospital information system
computerised. New operating theatres commissioned
- 1971 Tower Block opened by HRH Princess
Anne. Children's Centre opened
- 1976 Breast screening unit opened (in
grounds of Southend Hospital). Sita-Lumsden coronary unit
opened
- 1981 Sportsmen's ward opened to provide
an additional 28 beds for orthopaedic patients
- 1982 Celebration of 50th anniversary of
hospital
- 1985 Eye laser facility purchased from
Trust funds and voluntary fundraising
- 1986 Major refurbishment of accident and
emergency department completed
- 1989 New CT scanner unit opened by the
Princess Royal
- 1990 Diabetes centre opened.
Outpatients' waiting areas upgraded
- 1991 Southend became an NHS Trust. £27m
plans approved to centralise all acute services at Southend
(transferring services from the Rochford site). Number of senior
medical staff 80
- 1992 Second linear accelerator unit
completed. Celebration of Southend Hospital's Diamond Jubilee
- 1993 Separate £1m eye clinic opened. New
18-station renal dialysis unit opened. Work started on the new £11m
extension and the refurbishment of all tower block wards
- 1994 £27m redevelopment programme under
way to centralise all acute services on the Southend Hospital
site. Installation of £1m MRI scanner (result of community
fundraising)
- 1995 Rochford Hospital acute services
successfully transferred to Southend
- 1996 15-bed accident and emergency
observation ward opened. £550,000 day-surgery unit completed.
Number of senior medical staff 11
- 1997 Southend Hospital officially
designated Cancer Centre status
- 1998 50th Anniversary of the NHS
- 1999 £250,000 extension to the Renal
Unit opened plus work started on a £1m programme to rebuild and
refurbish pathology labs
- 2000 £400,000 Leukaemia Unit opened
thanks to massive support from the local community
- 2001 Completion of £3.4m A&E
department.First of 2 additional 25-bed wards opened (Dowsett
ward)
- 2002 New four-bed high dependency unit
for surgical patients opened on Kitty Hubbard Ward. Patient
Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) introduced. Tyrells Health
Wing, Benfleet opened
- 2003 £500,000 Ladybird workplace nursery
opened. Nightingale Centre opened (Women's clinic/breast
unit). £2.4m project completed to provide two new operating
theatres. Hospital achieved 3 star status
- 2004 £1.6m Lighthouse Centre opened
thanks to donated money from the Building Blocks Appeal. New
12-bedded surgical assessment unit opened on Dowsett ward.
New Angioplasty service now available
- 2005 New endoscopy suite opened.
One replacement and one new MRI scanner installed
- 2006 £4.75m Centre for Clinical Oncology
(Radiotherapy) opened with two new linac machines. 1st June -
hospital gained Foundation Trust status - new name Southend
University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- 2006 Introduction of PACS (picture
archiving and communication system) to replace X-Ray films; opening
of centre for clinical oncology, housing most up-to-date
equipment
- 2007 Month of celebrations (July) to
mark Southend Hospital's 75th (diamond) anniversary;
successful closure of Pinpoint Cancer Appeal which raised more than
£480,000 for a revolutionary image-guided radiotherapy system (only
the seventh in the country to have this equipment). Launch of
StrokeBusters Appeal
- 2008 Renal unit extension opening,
increasing number of dialysis stations from 18 to 28; installation
of new pharmacy dispensing robot
- 2009 Successful closure of £1m
StrokeBusters Appeal; launch of £750,000 Bosom Pals Appeal; opening
of wound management unit; opening of new multi-faith facility;
opening of dedicated bereavement suite
- 2010 Opening of Carlingford Centre
- 2011 Opening of our newly-refurbished
outpatients department
- 2012 First patient treated with
high dose brachytherapy. The hospital is currently the
only centre in Essex to offer this form of treatment to
prostate cancer patients
- 2013 International Symposium and
Imaging Workshop on giant cell arteritis (GCA), polymyalgia
rheumatica (PMR) and large vessel vasculitis (LVV), organised by
the hospital with some of the world's leading experts on rheumatic
diseases in attendance
- 2014 Opening of a dedicated
fetal medicine unit - the only one of its kind in Essex
- providing the latest and very best care for women and their
unborn children