Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney

The Prince of Wales Hospital is a major public teaching hospital located in Sydney's eastern suburb of Randwick, providing a full range of hospital services to the people of New South Wales, Australia. The hospital has strong ties to the University of New South Wales.

History
The Prince of Wales Hospital had its origins in 1852 with the formation of the Society for Destitute Children which established the Asylum for Destitute Children with the first building opened on 21 March, 1858 in Paddington. After an appeal for funds in 1870, the Catherine Hayes Hospital opened, reputedly with plans approved by Florence Nightingale. In 1915, during the First World War the hospital was converted by the NSW Government into a military hospital and then a repatriation hospital, and renamed the Fourth Australian Repatriation Hospital. In 1927 an association between the Coast Hospital and the Fourth Australian Repatriation Hospital at Randwick began. With the opening of the Concord Repatriation General Hospital in 1953, the hospital was renamed the Prince of Wales Hospital, and operated as an annexe of Sydney Hospital. Restructuring and hospital redevelopment has continued to occur to enhance the medical and patient facilities of the hospital, including amalgamation with the Prince Henry Hospital, Royal South Sydney Hospital and the Eastern Suburbs Hospital.

Prince Henry Hospital
Prince Henry hospital, originally known as the Coast Hospital located at Little Bay, had its origins managing patients with infectious diseases such as Smallpox in 1881, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis, and Scarlet Fever. In 1900 there was an outbreak of the Bubonic plague with 303 cases reported and 103 people dying, and a further outbreak in 1921. In 1919 the Swine Flu (also known as Spanish Flu) Pandemic reached Sydney utilising the full resources of the hospital. In 1934 the Coast Hospital was renamed the Prince Henry Hospital of Sydney on the occasion of the visit of the Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and major building works commenced to increase the capacity to 1,000 beds. With the passing of the Prince Henry Hospital Act 1936, it became a postgraduate teaching hospital. After the Second World War in 1946 The Institute of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine was established and was instrumental in investigating the incidence of the Coxsackie virus (aseptic meningitis), Poliomyelitis virus and was the first to isolate REO virus.

In 1970 the management of three Hospitals, the Prince Henry, The Prince of Wales and Eastern Suburbs, was brought under one board. In 2001 services of the Prince Henry hospital were moved to Randwick as part of the Prince of Wales Hospital.

Royal South Sydney Hospital
In the early 1900s fundraising took place for a public hospital in South Sydney. At a public meeting at the Redfern Town Hall in 1908 Mr. James Joynton-Smith was elected as Provisional President of a future public hospital. The hospital foundation stone was laid on 21 October, 1909, and the South Sydney hospital opening in August 1913. The Royal title was conferred in December 1917. The hospital was entirely used to treat Influenza patients in the pandemic of 1919. In September 1991 the hospital became part of The Prince Henry, The Prince of Wales and The Prince of Wales Children's Hospitals Group.

Eastern Suburbs Hospital
The Eastern Suburbs hospital opened in February 1935 on a five acre site near Queen's Park, after agitation from the community from 1924. During the second World War the hospital was used by the U.S. Navy Authority as a Naval Hospital from 1943 to 1944. In 1968 the hospital board was disbanded and administration of the hospital was taken over by the joint Boards of Directors of The Prince Henry and The Prince of Wales hospitals. The Eastern Suburbs hospital officially closed on 30 June 1980.