| Western General Hospital | |
|---|---|
| NHS Lothian | |
 Clock Tower at the Western General Hospital | |
  Shown in Edinburgh | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Edinburgh,Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°57′44″N3°14′06″W / 55.962142°N 3.234947°W /55.962142; -3.234947 |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | NHS Scotland |
| Type | General Hospital |
| Affiliated university | University of Edinburgh Medical School |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Minor Injuries Unit only |
| Beds | 570 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1868 |
| Links | |
| Website | Western General Hospital |
TheWestern General Hospital (often abbreviated to simply ‘The Western General’) is a health facility atCraigleith, Edinburgh,Scotland. It is managed byNHS Lothian.[1][2]
The hospital was designed byPeddie andKinnear and opened as the St. Cuthberts and Canongate Poorhouse in 1868, principally as a workhouse but also having some hospital functions.[3] It was later renamed Craigleith Poorhouse.[4][5] In 1915, during theFirst World War, the building was requisitioned by theWar Office to create the2nd Scottish General Hospital, a facility for theRoyal Army Medical Corps to treat military casualties.[6] After returning to poorhouse use in 1920 it was converted fully to hospital use in 1927. A nurses' home was added in 1935 and a pathology block was completed in 1939.[5] It joined theNational Health Service in 1948 and a new library was completed in 1979.[5]
The firstMaggie's Cancer Caring Centre opened on the Western General Hospital site in 1996.[7]
In June 2012 the Medicine for the Elderly services were transferred from theRoyal Victoria Hospital to a new purpose-built facility known as the Royal Victoria Building at the Western General Hospital.[8]
A facility to treat young people with cancer aged 16 to 24 was opened in the Western General Hospital in December 2013.[9]
Matrons of the Western General Hospital include:[10]
1929–1951[11] Theresa Allan
1951[12] –1964 Estelle Adamson,OBE[13]
1964–1972 Margaret Nimmo[14]
1972–1974 Elizabeth Edwards
1974–1976 J.L.P. Robertson
1977–1987 Elizabeth McLean
1987– Alexandra Harvey
During Allan’s time asmatron the Western General Hospital was recognised as a nurse training school in 1931. She was one of the first matrons to introduce a Preliminary Training School for nurses and the block system of training. She was also behind the introduction of the training of male nurses at the Western. Allan was awarded thePolish Gold Cross for her services to thePaderewski Hospital (Polish) when it formed part of the Western General Hospital duringWorld War II. This existed for six years and received over 7,000 polish service men and civilians as in patients and was the training school for the Polish Faculty of Medicine established atEdinburgh University.[15]
Buildings include:[16]
The hospital has over 700 beds including day beds.[17] Although the Western no longer has anAccident and Emergency department, a nurse-ledminor injuries unit has been operating on the site since 1994.[18]
The hospital served as a base for theneurology andneurosurgery centre for south east Scotland ("Department of ClinicalNeurosciences")[19] until the department moved to theEdinburgh Royal Infirmary at Little France in 2020.[20]
There is a major nationalcancer research and treatment centre at the hospital which was refurbished in 2007.[21]
Media related toWestern General Hospital, Edinburgh at Wikimedia CommonsHealth and care facilities inEdinburgh | |
|---|---|
| Current | |
| Former | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
.jpg)
