History of the Royal Papworth Hospital
This photo from 1925 with some of the Nurses including Dolly-Landon (centre) - photo credit RPH
Papworth Hospital was founded at Papworth Everard (to the west of Cambridge) in 1918 as a sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis among discharged soldiers who had served in the First World War, following a campaign led by Elsbeth Dimsdale, and was initially known as the “Cambridgeshire Tuberculosis Colony”. The institution was initially under the direction of Dr (later Sir) Pendrill Varrier-Jones.
This photo from 1930 showing the Papworth Tuberculosis Huts - photo credit RPH
Another photo I found online of one of the wards from Papworth.
From the 1950s, surgical facilities developed, beginning with thoracic (chest/lung) surgery and expanding to cardiac surgery. Surgeon Ben Milstein performed the first open-heart surgery at Papworth Hospital in September 1958.
In August 1979, surgeon Terence English performed the first successful heart transplant in the UK at Papworth Hospital. The patient, Keith Castle, lived for over five years following his surgery. In February 1980, 23-year-old male nurse Paul Coffey became Britain's thirteenth heart transplant patient, when he was given the heart of a woman who had died in a car crash, by surgeons at Papworth Hospital. In February 1986 Paul Coffey and some of his friends started the 'T' Planters Club which held annual fundraising dinners; the ‘T’ was in recognition of the pioneer surgeon Sir Terence English. In the four years between its founding and its winding up in 1990, the ‘T’–Planters Club raised £109,917.
In 1986, alongside a team from Addenbrooke's Hospital, the world's first heart-lung and liver transplant took place at Papworth Hospital. Surgeons John Wallwork and Roy Calne performed the operation on 35-year-old Davina Thompson.
In August 1994 a team of doctors carried out a revolutionary operation when 62-year-old Arthur Cornhill was given the world's first permanent battery-operated heart.
In May 2014, a new CT Scanner was unveiled at the old hospital by its royal patron, the Duchess of Gloucester.
In September 2017, Papworth Hospital was granted the designation “royal” by the Queen and so became Royal Papworth Hospital in January 2018.
The hospital was one of the NHS's leading hospitals in the fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United Kingdom, with some of the best results in the country despite caring for the sickest patients.
In 2020, Series 3 of the BBC show Surgeons: At the Edge of Life premiered, with many operations filmed at Royal Papworth Hospital.
New Building
In December 2013 it was announced that the hospital would move to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus next to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. Implementation of the scheme was temporarily delayed, following an intervention by HM Treasury, while the Trust investigated an alternative proposal of moving to the Peterborough City Hospital site, a concept to which there was considerable opposition given the financial problems at that hospital. In March 2015, the hospital announced that its move to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus was being procured under a private finance initiative contract. The construction works, which were carried out by Skanska at a cost of £165 million, started immediately.
In April 2019, following the construction of a new hospital, it began its relocation from its previous location in the village of Papworth Everard to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, treating its first patients in the new hospital on 1 May 2019. The old hospital was home to numerous medical firsts, including the first successful heart transplant in the UK, the world's first successful heart, lung and liver transplant, and one of the world's first non-beating-heart transplants.
The new hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus treated its first patients in May 2019. It was officially opened by the Queen on 9 July 2019
Papworth was visited may times over the years by the Royal Family and I came across this letter online from 28th July 1930
Explore
After hearing this was due to close early May 2019 and with me living fairly local a plan was hatched. I went the evening before and checked things out finding a route and entry, whilst i was in the building i sent a few photos to PV and agreed we would return the following evening.
Arriving late in the evening the next day with PV we entered the same way as i had done the previous evening and had the place to ourselves, after 5 or 6 hours our limited supplies had ran out and hunger set in. i can recall us finding some packets of dry cereal unopened and in date, so we took a break and indulged on a feast of dry rice crispies. After a few more hours we left the site and went back to the car.
Anyways on with the photos
The next few images are of some of the larger machines we came across at the time of visit
Angiography Room 1
Angiography Room 1
Angiography Room 2
Angiography Room 3
Angiogram X-Ray
Angiogram X-Ray
Radiation Controlled Area - Side Room
Stress Room 2
Keith Castle Room - Gamma Camera Room
X-Ray Waiting Area Corridor
X-Ray Room - Looking Through The Door
X-Ray Machine
Plain Film Room - X-Ray
Room View of X-Ray And Control Station
Another View
X-Ray Machine Controls
Old X-ray Slides
Theatre Corridor and Wheelchair
Theatre Room
Theatre Room
Theatre Room
Theatre Room
Theatre Room - used for storage during the move
to be continued......
This photo from 1925 with some of the Nurses including Dolly-Landon (centre) - photo credit RPH
Papworth Hospital was founded at Papworth Everard (to the west of Cambridge) in 1918 as a sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis among discharged soldiers who had served in the First World War, following a campaign led by Elsbeth Dimsdale, and was initially known as the “Cambridgeshire Tuberculosis Colony”. The institution was initially under the direction of Dr (later Sir) Pendrill Varrier-Jones.
This photo from 1930 showing the Papworth Tuberculosis Huts - photo credit RPH
Another photo I found online of one of the wards from Papworth.
From the 1950s, surgical facilities developed, beginning with thoracic (chest/lung) surgery and expanding to cardiac surgery. Surgeon Ben Milstein performed the first open-heart surgery at Papworth Hospital in September 1958.
In August 1979, surgeon Terence English performed the first successful heart transplant in the UK at Papworth Hospital. The patient, Keith Castle, lived for over five years following his surgery. In February 1980, 23-year-old male nurse Paul Coffey became Britain's thirteenth heart transplant patient, when he was given the heart of a woman who had died in a car crash, by surgeons at Papworth Hospital. In February 1986 Paul Coffey and some of his friends started the 'T' Planters Club which held annual fundraising dinners; the ‘T’ was in recognition of the pioneer surgeon Sir Terence English. In the four years between its founding and its winding up in 1990, the ‘T’–Planters Club raised £109,917.
In 1986, alongside a team from Addenbrooke's Hospital, the world's first heart-lung and liver transplant took place at Papworth Hospital. Surgeons John Wallwork and Roy Calne performed the operation on 35-year-old Davina Thompson.
In August 1994 a team of doctors carried out a revolutionary operation when 62-year-old Arthur Cornhill was given the world's first permanent battery-operated heart.
In May 2014, a new CT Scanner was unveiled at the old hospital by its royal patron, the Duchess of Gloucester.
In September 2017, Papworth Hospital was granted the designation “royal” by the Queen and so became Royal Papworth Hospital in January 2018.
The hospital was one of the NHS's leading hospitals in the fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United Kingdom, with some of the best results in the country despite caring for the sickest patients.
In 2020, Series 3 of the BBC show Surgeons: At the Edge of Life premiered, with many operations filmed at Royal Papworth Hospital.
New Building
In December 2013 it was announced that the hospital would move to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus next to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. Implementation of the scheme was temporarily delayed, following an intervention by HM Treasury, while the Trust investigated an alternative proposal of moving to the Peterborough City Hospital site, a concept to which there was considerable opposition given the financial problems at that hospital. In March 2015, the hospital announced that its move to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus was being procured under a private finance initiative contract. The construction works, which were carried out by Skanska at a cost of £165 million, started immediately.
In April 2019, following the construction of a new hospital, it began its relocation from its previous location in the village of Papworth Everard to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, treating its first patients in the new hospital on 1 May 2019. The old hospital was home to numerous medical firsts, including the first successful heart transplant in the UK, the world's first successful heart, lung and liver transplant, and one of the world's first non-beating-heart transplants.
The new hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus treated its first patients in May 2019. It was officially opened by the Queen on 9 July 2019
Papworth was visited may times over the years by the Royal Family and I came across this letter online from 28th July 1930
Explore
After hearing this was due to close early May 2019 and with me living fairly local a plan was hatched. I went the evening before and checked things out finding a route and entry, whilst i was in the building i sent a few photos to PV and agreed we would return the following evening.
Arriving late in the evening the next day with PV we entered the same way as i had done the previous evening and had the place to ourselves, after 5 or 6 hours our limited supplies had ran out and hunger set in. i can recall us finding some packets of dry cereal unopened and in date, so we took a break and indulged on a feast of dry rice crispies. After a few more hours we left the site and went back to the car.
Anyways on with the photos
The next few images are of some of the larger machines we came across at the time of visit
Angiography Room 1
Angiography Room 1
Angiography Room 2
Angiography Room 3
Angiogram X-Ray
Angiogram X-Ray
Radiation Controlled Area - Side Room
Stress Room 2
Keith Castle Room - Gamma Camera Room
X-Ray Waiting Area Corridor
X-Ray Room - Looking Through The Door
X-Ray Machine
Plain Film Room - X-Ray
Room View of X-Ray And Control Station
Another View
X-Ray Machine Controls
Old X-ray Slides
Theatre Corridor and Wheelchair
Theatre Room
Theatre Room
Theatre Room - used for storage during the move
to be continued......
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