| Princess Margaret Rose Orthopaedic Hospital | |
|---|---|
  Shown in Edinburgh | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Fairmilehead,Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°54′00″N3°11′42″W / 55.9°N 3.195°W /55.9; -3.195 |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | NHS |
| Type | Specialist |
| Services | |
| Speciality | Orthopaedics |
| History | |
| Opened | 1932 |
| Closed | 2000 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Scotland |
ThePrincess Margaret Rose Orthopaedic Hospital was a hospital inFairmilehead,Edinburgh, opened in 1932 and closed in 2000. After closure, with services transferred to the newRoyal Infirmary of Edinburgh, it was demolished and the site sold for housing.
In the late 1920s, an appeal was launched to found a hospital for the orthopaedic treatment of physically disabled children in south-eastern Scotland.[1] A site was on theMortonhall estate, nearFairmilehead in southernEdinburgh.[2]
The hospital opened in June 1932, as theEdinburgh Hospital for Crippled Children, with two 25-bed wards. A further two were opened by 1936, for a total capacity of 100 patients. Shortly after opening, it was renamed thePrincess Margaret Rose Hospital for Crippled Children, afterPrincess Margaret Rose, the four-year-old younger daughter of the then Duke of York (later KingGeorge VI). The name was shortened to thePrincess Margaret Rose Hospital for Children in 1937. The majority of cases came fromosteomyelitis andtuberculosis infections, and prevailing medical opinion of the time held that open-air treatment was beneficial. The wards were roofed, but open to the air at the southern end, to ensure as much benefit from the fresh air as possible.[1]
A residential block for nurses was built in 1935, designed byReginald Fairlie, and later registered as aGrade B listed building.[3] The western lodge, built at the same time, was Grade C listed.[4]
During the 1940s the hospital began to be used for teaching orthopaedic nursing, with a two-year training program which led into a three-year registered nursing course at theRoyal Infirmary of Edinburgh. This system lasted until 1978, when the teaching of orthopaedic nursing was restructured to be a post-registration course. On the foundation of theNational Health Service in Scotland in 1948, the Princess Margaret passed into state management, grouped with the Edinburgh Central Hospitals.[1]
Tuberculosis and osteomyelitis declined after theSecond World War, and during the 1950s many patients had suffered from childhoodpolio. This also declined, following an extensivevaccination campaign in the early 1960s. During the 1960s, it became a centre of treatment for cases ofphocomelia brought on bythalidomide. With the reduction in cases of childhood disability, the hospital (now renamed thePrincess Margaret Rose Orthopaedic Hospital) began to focus on post-accident orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation, mainly dealing with the victims of traffic accidents, and including a centre for the provision ofprosthetic limbs.[1] The hospital became a centre for research and development into prostheses, including the development of the first electrically-powered prosthetic arms byDavid Gow's research group in 1998.[5]
In 1966, a new orthopaedic extension was built, designed byMorris and Steedman in amodernist style. This was later listed as Grade B building, but has since been demolished.[6]
During the 1990s, a site in the south of Edinburgh was developed for the newRoyal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which opened in 2003. As part of this redevelopment, a number of smaller hospitals were to be closed, with their work centralised at the new Infirmary.[7] The Princess Margaret Rose was closed in 2000,[1] with the site sold for housing for £4.3 million in 2002.[2]
The developers,Bryant Homes, built 67 houses and two apartment blocks in the first phase of development, plus converted a third block (the former nurses' quarters) into flats.[2] The initial plans for the second phase had relied on adapting the existing Orthopaedic Wing, a listed building, but this was demolished after an arson attack in 2002. It was replaced by a new development with six flats and seventeen terraced houses, under the name "Princess Gate", designed byMalcolm Fraser Architects. This later received a Scottish Design Award and was shortlisted for theRIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award in 2007.[6]
Health and care facilities inEdinburgh | |
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