Balfour Hospital
Encyclopedia
Balfour Hospital is a rural general hospital
in Kirkwall
, run by NHS Orkney
. It is the main hospital in the Orkney Islands
.
A Macmillan House ward for cancer patients opened in Balfour Hospital in March 2000, its predecessor, at the Eastbank Hospital, had opened in 1993.
Rural general hospital
The rural general hospital is a concept unique to the National Health Service in Scotland. A rural general hospital is a small hospital, similar to a district general hospital, that serves an area which is remote and rural, generally with a small population which would otherwise have a long or...
in Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
, run by NHS Orkney
NHS Orkney
NHS Orkney is one of the fourteen regions of the NHS Scotland. It provides healthcare services in the Orkney area. NHS Orkney is headquartered in Garden House Kirkwall.It operates one hospital, Balfour Hospital, in Kirkwall....
. It is the main hospital in the Orkney Islands
Orkney Islands
Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
.
History
Orkney's first hospital was established in October 1845, in what is today the Kirkwall West End Hotel. In 1836, John Balfour of Trenabie set up a charitable trust for the founding of a hospital with the interest from £20,000 worth of Mexican government bonds. In 1845, the trustees of the hospital fund bought the house from local merchant, James Shearer, together with the two large gardens and blacksmith's shop on the west side of the street, for £450. At first known simply as the Orkney Hospital, it became the Balfour Hospital in 1853, in recognition of the contribution of the Balfour family, a name which continues at Orkney's present hospital in New Scapa Road, Kirkwall. The West End served as a hospital well into the 20th century, its replacement opening in 1927.A Macmillan House ward for cancer patients opened in Balfour Hospital in March 2000, its predecessor, at the Eastbank Hospital, had opened in 1993.