ninety years of service - University Hospital Southampton NHS ...

THE LAST LAPIn 1962 Regional plans for the future development of the hospitals in Southampton were published showing the Board’sintention of developing the Royal South Hants and the General hospitals with the eventual absorption of the smallerhospitals, including the Children’s.I was invited to join a small working party at the Regional Beard’s office in Winchester to consider plans for a standardWessex district hospital. At our first meeting it immediately became very clear that the plans were primarily those for anew hospital on the General Hospital site and that the Children’s Unit was to be on the top floor of the main block. We hadto accept that the Children’s Hospital was very out-of-date and that it was unrealistic for us to hope that it could bemodernised sufficiently to keep up with current technological advances. We pleaded in vain that the children’s unit shouldbe in a separate building on the site but the plans were already so far advanced that we were only able to make minoralterations.When it became apparent that we would shortly be leaving Winchester Rd, an elaborate plan was put forward by themedical staff to convert the buildings, including Oakfield, into a comprehensive centre for the assessment and care ofchildren with handicap. The plan included the transfer of the facilities being provided at Bursledon, which would then beclosed. The authorities turned down the plan on the grounds that the boiler would not be up to the job! (It packed up threeweeks before the final move!). It is satisfactory to know that just such a unit has now (1989) been established in the oldGroup Offices on the General Hospital site.Long before the final day a commissioning team was set up under Miss Irwin to ensure that the move should be aspainless as possible and, in the event, their hard labours were well rewarded. We had a farewell party for Miss Craddockon May 16th and the actual move took place on May 20th 1974 without a hitch thus bringing to an end ninety years ofservice to the children of Southampton during which time the tiny village hospital had grown up to become an importantcentre of paediatric expertise, research, and teaching.The new buildings at the General Hospital were formally opened on December 6th 1974 by H.M. the Queen, whosubsequently toured the Children’s Unit on Level G of the East Ward Block. Although there can be no doubt that the newunit is much more capacious and has many more facilities, those of us who were privileged to serve there, will cast anoccasional nostalgic glance backwards to the old hospital which was such a friendly, happy and caring place.THE SMALL IS BEAUTIFULPostcript: The old hospital building was demolished in the early 1980s and Brixedone House, Bursledon sold in 1989.