Kingston Hospital

Kingston Hospital is an acute NHS hospital in Kingston upon Thames, South West London. It has an Accident & Emergency Unit, a popular midwife-led Maternity unit, and an STD clinic known as the Wolverton Centre. It is operated by Kingston Hospital NHS Trust.

History
The hospital is on the site of the former Kingston Union Workhouse, which was built in 1837-1839 as a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. An infirmary was built on the site of what is now Regent Wing in 1843. A nurses home complex was built in the north west corner of the site in 1897, which was partially demolished in 1998 to build a car park.

In 1902 the infirmary was separated from the workhouse and named Kingston Infirmary. In 1920 it was renamed Kingston and District Hospital. In 1948, when the NHS was launched, the entire former workhouse site was given over to the hospital, and many of the original buildings were demolished. Esher Wing was built in the 1970s.

The Phase 5 PFI building (tentatively called The Kingston Surgical Centre) is due for completion at the end of 2007. When complete, a number of facilities will be migrated to the new building, to allow demolition or re-use of older, clinically unsuitable buildings on the site.

The Trust is currently involved in the process of applying for Foundation status, to provide it with greater autonomy within the NHS.

Information about the Hospital
The hospital serves approximately 320,000 people in Kingston, Esher, Richmond, Roehampton and Putney and other parts of South West London. The entire site is non-smoking, as part of an NHS initiative.

As well as the General Charitable Fund, the hospital also has the KingstonCan appeal, to provide funds for the building of a dedicated cancer unit and Born Too Soon, which offers support to parents who have a baby being cared for on the Neonatal Unit at Kingston Hospital.

Transport
Kingston Hospital is close to Norbiton railway station and is on the A308. It is serviced by several bus routes (primarily from Kingston upon Thames).