Musgrove Park Hospital
Encyclopedia
Musgrove Park Hospital is a large NHS
hospital located in Taunton
, Somerset
. Originally a US Army General Hospital during the Second World War, it became an NHS hospital in 1949.
. It serves a population of 340,000 - primarily living in the area served by NHS
South West. Each year 34,000 patients are admitted as emergencies; 10,000 patients are admitted for elective surgery; 28,000 are seen for day case surgery; 238,000 outpatient appointments are held; 49,000 attend Accident and Emergency, 3,000 babies are born in the Maternity Department and 170,000 diagnostics tests are carried out.
The hospital has an annual budget of £180 million; over 700 beds as well as 15 operating theatres. Musgrove Park is also home to an Intensive Care and High Dependency Unit, a Medical Admissions Unit, a fully equipped Diagnostic Imaging department and a specialised Children’s Department including a Paediatric High Dependency Bay. The Trust also provides Neonatal Intensive Care for all of Somerset. The Trust employs about 4,145 staff.
Musgrove Park has a hospital radio
station called Apple AM, presented by volunteers. The station is broadcast to all patients and staff and can be listened externally on 1431 kHz medium wave.
Following an operation on his foot, Somerset cricketer Ian Botham
mistakenly walked into a children's ward at Musgrove Park. He gives this as his inspiration for raising millions of pounds for leukaemia charities.
.
After the war, it continued in use as a Ministry of Pensions Hospital and only became a General Hospital within the National Health Service
in 1951. An Oregon Pine
tree was planted in front of the Old Building by the Americans and can still be seen standing proudly today.
The first major development of the hospital was the Queens Building which opened in 1987. This houses Accident and Emergency, Orthopedics, Endoscopy and Opthalmics as well as Therapy Services. The Duchess Building opened in 1995 to house Medical and Care of the Elderly, Outpatients, Oral Surgery and Orthodontics, Dermatology, Diagnostic Imaging, Pharmacy, and Paramedical Support. An extension to the Post Medical Centre was opened in 2005. Work on a Cancer Centre started in 2007.
Many events took place over the years that affected staff and patients in unusual ways. Two of these took place in 1978, which was eventful for many and gained considerable publicity – the great snow of February 1978 and the Taunton train fire
of July 1978. The helicopter became a familiar sight during the snow siege – the first landed at very short notice, bringing a patient with a head injury – an unusual group of staff carried him from the helicopter to the hospital through deep snowdrifts. After a few days, these flights became routine, bringing in mothers in labour and taking out supplies to smaller hospitals.
Musgrove Park has had two of many memorable Royal visits. These were by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
in 1959; and by H.R.H. Princess Anne
in 1970, when she opened the Intensive Therapy Unit.
In October 2006, a new multi-storey car park was opened, provided under a 25 year Public-private partnership
(PPP). The Cedars car park has 736 spaces and is operated by Dutch company Q-Park. This was built together with the addition of the new Cardiac Extension to the hospital, which provides primary angioplasty.
On 1 December 2007, Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust became a Foundation Trust
making Musgrove a Foundation Trust hospital. As a Foundation Trust, the hospital will now have greater freedoms over its finances and the 5200 people who have registered as members will have a crucial role to play in the future direction of the hospital.
A new helipad is being built directly outside the A&E department reducing aircraft transfer times. Construction work, which began on the helipad in February 2010, was completed in May 2010. Construction work on the new £38 million surgical centre began in August 2010.
or on the Discovery Home & Health Channel
.
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
hospital located in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. Originally a US Army General Hospital during the Second World War, it became an NHS hospital in 1949.
About the hospital
Musgrove Park is the major hospital in Somerset, which serves Taunton and its surrounding areas. It is often known by the abbreviation MPH by the local South Western Ambulance ServiceSouth Western Ambulance Service
The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is the authority responsible for providing ambulance services for the National Health Service in the English counties of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset...
. It serves a population of 340,000 - primarily living in the area served by NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
South West. Each year 34,000 patients are admitted as emergencies; 10,000 patients are admitted for elective surgery; 28,000 are seen for day case surgery; 238,000 outpatient appointments are held; 49,000 attend Accident and Emergency, 3,000 babies are born in the Maternity Department and 170,000 diagnostics tests are carried out.
The hospital has an annual budget of £180 million; over 700 beds as well as 15 operating theatres. Musgrove Park is also home to an Intensive Care and High Dependency Unit, a Medical Admissions Unit, a fully equipped Diagnostic Imaging department and a specialised Children’s Department including a Paediatric High Dependency Bay. The Trust also provides Neonatal Intensive Care for all of Somerset. The Trust employs about 4,145 staff.
Musgrove Park has a hospital radio
Hospital radio
Hospital radio is a form of audio broadcasting produced specifically for the in-patients of hospitals. It is primarily found in the United Kingdom.-History:...
station called Apple AM, presented by volunteers. The station is broadcast to all patients and staff and can be listened externally on 1431 kHz medium wave.
Following an operation on his foot, Somerset cricketer Ian Botham
Ian Botham
Sir Ian Terence Botham OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator. He was a genuine all-rounder with 14 centuries and 383 wickets in Test cricket, and remains well-known by his nickname "Beefy"...
mistakenly walked into a children's ward at Musgrove Park. He gives this as his inspiration for raising millions of pounds for leukaemia charities.
History
The 67th General Hospital was authorised on 3 March 1941, and activated 1 September 1942 as an American Army Hospital and occupied by the U.S. Army Medical CorpsMedical Corps (United States Army)
The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...
.
After the war, it continued in use as a Ministry of Pensions Hospital and only became a General Hospital within the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
in 1951. An Oregon Pine
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
tree was planted in front of the Old Building by the Americans and can still be seen standing proudly today.
The first major development of the hospital was the Queens Building which opened in 1987. This houses Accident and Emergency, Orthopedics, Endoscopy and Opthalmics as well as Therapy Services. The Duchess Building opened in 1995 to house Medical and Care of the Elderly, Outpatients, Oral Surgery and Orthodontics, Dermatology, Diagnostic Imaging, Pharmacy, and Paramedical Support. An extension to the Post Medical Centre was opened in 2005. Work on a Cancer Centre started in 2007.
Many events took place over the years that affected staff and patients in unusual ways. Two of these took place in 1978, which was eventful for many and gained considerable publicity – the great snow of February 1978 and the Taunton train fire
Taunton train fire
The Taunton sleeping car fire occurred in a sleeping car train at Taunton, England in the early hours of 6 July 1978. It killed 12 people and had far-reaching effects for British Rail.- Background :The vehicle involved was no...
of July 1978. The helicopter became a familiar sight during the snow siege – the first landed at very short notice, bringing a patient with a head injury – an unusual group of staff carried him from the helicopter to the hospital through deep snowdrifts. After a few days, these flights became routine, bringing in mothers in labour and taking out supplies to smaller hospitals.
Musgrove Park has had two of many memorable Royal visits. These were by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
in 1959; and by H.R.H. Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
in 1970, when she opened the Intensive Therapy Unit.
In October 2006, a new multi-storey car park was opened, provided under a 25 year Public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
(PPP). The Cedars car park has 736 spaces and is operated by Dutch company Q-Park. This was built together with the addition of the new Cardiac Extension to the hospital, which provides primary angioplasty.
On 1 December 2007, Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust became a Foundation Trust
NHS Foundation Trust
An NHS foundation trust is part of the National Health Service in England and has gained a degree of independence from the Department of Health and local NHS strategic health authority.Foundation Trusts are represented by the , .-Function:...
making Musgrove a Foundation Trust hospital. As a Foundation Trust, the hospital will now have greater freedoms over its finances and the 5200 people who have registered as members will have a crucial role to play in the future direction of the hospital.
Future plans
The Trust has exciting plans to improve and transform the hospital. These include the current development of the new Cardiology Extension, as well as the replacement of part of the World War II Old Building with a state-of-the-art Surgical Centre within the next few years. The new Beacon Cancer Centre opened in May 2009, ending the need for patients to travel to the Bristol Oncology Centre for radiotherapy treatment.A new helipad is being built directly outside the A&E department reducing aircraft transfer times. Construction work, which began on the helipad in February 2010, was completed in May 2010. Construction work on the new £38 million surgical centre began in August 2010.
Television
The A&E department of Musgrove is the subject of a TV fly-on-the-wall series known as "Emergency: Medics". Three series have previously been shown on ITV West and ITV Westcountry. Former episodes of “Emergency: Medics” can be seen on ITV1ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
or on the Discovery Home & Health Channel
Discovery Home & Health (UK & Ireland)
Home & Health is a television channel. It was launched as part of the Discovery Channels bouquet of channels, as Discovery Health, following a similar format to the American channel of the same name....
.