Airedale General Hospital

Last updated

Airedale General Hospital
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
Airedale General Hospital OPD Dec 2013.jpg
Outpatients Department Entrance to Airedale General Hospital, December 2013
West Yorkshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in West Yorkshire
Geography
Location Steeton with Eastburn, West Yorkshire, England
Coordinates 53°53′53″N1°57′46″W / 53.898000°N 1.962700°W / 53.898000; -1.962700
Organisation
Care system NHS
Type District General
Affiliated university Leeds University School of Medicine
Services
Emergency department Yes
Beds324
History
Opened1970
Links
Lists Hospitals in England

Airedale General Hospital is an NHS district General Hospital based in Steeton with Eastburn, West Yorkshire, England and is operated by the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust. [1] Airedale was opened for patients in July 1970 [2] and officially opened by the Prince of Wales on 11 December of the same year. [3] The hospital covers a wide area including Keighley, Skipton and parts of the Yorkshire Dales and eastern Lancashire. As of 2021, the hospital had links for neurosurgical emergencies with Leeds General Infirmary. The hospital provides approximately 324 beds. [4]

Contents

History

The hospital was planned as far back as 1963 with many sites being optioned including Silsden and also a site nearer to Skipton. Building work was initiated in 1966 to a plan by then-renowned, later disgraced architect John Garlick Llewellyn Poulson. [5] His later trial had nothing to do with his designs for Airedale Hospital. [3]

The original estimate for the construction of the 32-acre site was £4.5 million including equipment. [6] In 1967, this was revised to £5 million. The hospital, with an initial designation of 650 beds, was due to open in 1969, but was eventually opened in stages starting in July 1970, [2] and was officially opened by the Prince of Wales on 11 December of that year. [7]

Upon opening in July 1970, it was revealed that it would actually house 643 beds and have an eventual cost of £5.4 million. The maternity ward opened on 6 July 1970, after the main sections of the hospital, with the first birth being on 7 July 1970. [8] The opening of Airedale spelt the end for some of the older hospitals in the area, namely Keighley Victoria, St Johns and Mortons Bank. These all closed in 1970 on transfer of patients to the new facility. [9] For the first few years of the hospital being open, it had an average employment rota of 1,400 people, making it the largest service employer in the area. [10]

In 1989, Airedale was the hospital that Tony Bland, the 96th and final Hillsborough disaster victim, was transferred to. Mr Bland was in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) after being crushed at Hillsborough. His parents successfully applied to the High Court to cease his feeding and allow him to die, which he did on 3 March 1993. [11] The hospital was the scene of demonstrations by pro-life campaigners during this time. [12]

In September 2021, the hospital acquired a British Rail Class 144 "Pacer" train carriage after Airedale Hospital and Community Charity, the official charity for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, won a competition by the Department for Transport. [13] It plans to use the vehicle as a non-clinical communal space. [14]

As of April 2022, the hospital was said to have "the largest single flat roof" of any English hospital – around 320,000 square feet (30,000 m2) – which reportedly resulted in the "most roof leaks in the country". It is also believed to be the oldest reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) hospital in the UK, which poses a dangerous risk to its overall infrastructure. [15] On 25 May 2023 it was announced that the hospital would be rebuilt as it contains significant amounts of RAAC. [16] The Guardian newspaper noted that a 2020 proposal to rebuilt Airedale Hospital was not funded by HM Treasury during Rishi Sunak's term as Chancellor of the Exchequer, despite a "catastrophic" grade of risk and a warning that an incident was "likely". [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keighley & Worth Valley Railway</span> Heritage line in West Yorkshire, England

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR) is a 5-mile-long (8 km) heritage railway in the Worth Valley, West Yorkshire, England, which runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the National Rail network at Keighley railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bingley</span> Town in West Yorkshire, England

Bingley is a market town and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which had a population of 18,294 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riddlesden</span> Suburb in West Yorkshire, England

Riddlesden is a suburb of Keighley in the county of West Yorkshire, England and on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keighley</span> Market town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England

Keighley is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airedale</span>

Airedale is a valley, or dale, in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is named after the River Aire, which flows through it. The upper valley, from Malham Cove to Airton, is known as Malhamdale, named after the village of Malham. At Airton the valley widens and becomes Airedale proper. The river flows past Skipton on to Keighley, Bingley, Shipley, and Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airedale line</span> Rail line in Yorkshire, England

The Airedale line is one of the rail services in the West Yorkshire Metro area centred on West Yorkshire in northern England. The service is operated by Northern, on the route connecting Leeds and Bradford with Skipton. Some services along the line continue to Morecambe or Carlisle. The route covered by the service was historically part of the Midland Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 144</span> Type of passenger train used in Britain

The British Rail Class 144Pacer was a diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train built at Derby between 1986 and 1987. BR, seeking to procure improved derivatives of the earlier Class 141, placed an order with the manufacturers British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) and Walter Alexander to construct their own variant, the Class 144. A total of 23 units were constructed. All units have now retired from mainline service, though the majority of the units have been acquired for preservation on heritage railways and in other uses. As of December 2022, 19 out of the 23 units have been purchased following withdrawal for this purpose, of which 14 units are in operational condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossflatts</span> Ribbon development in West Yorkshire, England

Crossflatts is a ribbon development in Airedale along the old route of the A650 road between Bingley and Keighley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The opening of the Aire Valley Trunk road in 2004 has seen a reduction of 51% of traffic through the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frizinghall railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Frizinghall railway station is situated in the Frizinghall district of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The station, an unstaffed halt 2 miles (3 km) north of Bradford Forster Square is on the Airedale Line, and all trains serving it are operated by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keighley railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Keighley railway station serves the town of Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The station is located on the Airedale line, with electric services to Leeds, Skipton and Bradford Forster Square provided by Northern, along with longer distance services to Morecambe and Carlisle. The station is split in half, with National Rail operating from platforms 1 and 2, while platforms 3 and 4 are the northern terminus of heritage services to Oxenhope on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steeton and Silsden railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Steeton and Silsden railway station serves the village of Steeton and the town of Silsden in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated closer to Steeton than to Silsden, and is on the Airedale Line. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipton railway station</span> Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Skipton railway station is a Grade II listed station which serves the town of Skipton in North Yorkshire, England on the Airedale Line, which gives Skipton access to destinations such as Leeds, Bradford, Carlisle, Lancaster and Morecambe. The station is operated by Northern Trains and is situated 27 miles (43 km) north-west of Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A629 road</span> Primary A road in Yorkshire, England

The A629 road is an inter-Yorkshire road that runs from Skipton to Rotherham through Keighley, Halifax, Huddersfield and Chapeltown in Yorkshire, England. The road runs through North, West and South Yorkshire, but before 1974, the entire length of the road was wholly within the boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is designated as a primary route through most of its length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingrow (West) railway station</span> Railway station in West Yorkshire, England

Ingrow (West) railway station is a single-platform station serving the suburb of Ingrow in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. It is served by the preserved Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. The station is 1.25 miles (2 km) west of Keighley station and 2.25 miles (3.62 km) west of Haworth railway station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airedale NHS Foundation Trust</span>

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS Foundation Trust based in West and North Yorkshire, England; it also serves part of East Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keighley bus station</span> Bus station in West Yorkshire, England

Keighley bus station serves the town of Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. The bus station is owned and managed by Metro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Stephenson</span> British politician

Andrew George Stephenson is a British politician serving as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury since October 2022. He has served as a Whip or Minister continually since June 2017 under four Prime Ministers. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Pendle in Lancashire since 2010.

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, dentistry, community health, and specialist learning disability services in Bradford, Keighley, Ilkley and Craven in Yorkshire, England. It achieved foundation trust status in May 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skipton General Hospital</span> Hospital in North Yorkshire, England

Skipton General Hospital is a health facility in Keighley Road, Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It is managed by Airedale NHS Foundation Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worth Valley (dale)</span> Valley in West Yorkshire, England

The Worth Valley is a geographic area in West Yorkshire, England, that extends eastwards from Crow Hill and Oxenhope Moor, providing drainage for the River Worth for nearly 10 miles (16 km) to the River Aire. It is a side valley to Airedale, with the River Worth being a major tributary of the River Aire. The Worth Valley was important for its contribution to the textiles industry of the West Riding of Yorkshire and was furnished with several reservoirs to allow mills to operate within the valley. Most of the reservoirs are still in use into the modern day.

References

  1. ↑ "Google Maps – location". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2010.
  2. 1 2 "60 patients switched to new hospital". Telegraph and Argus. 6 July 1970. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2016.(subscription required)
  3. 1 2 "Airedale General Hospital". Steetonandeastburn.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "CQC Report". Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Campaign for a new hospital to serve Craven". Craven Herald. 20 December 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Faux, Ronald (19 June 1970). "Hospital a forerunner in design". The Times. No. 57896. p. 2. ISSN   0140-0460.
  7. ↑ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 58046. 12 December 1970. p. 12. ISSN   0140-0460.
  8. ↑ "First Birth at New Hospital". Telegraph and Argus. 8 July 1970. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2016.(subscription required)
  9. ↑ "Push Button Hospital". Telegraph and Argus. 6 July 1970. p. 6. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2016.(subscription required)
  10. ↑ Rees-Mogg, William, ed. (5 October 1974). "Fight of 39 vital marginals: Keighley". The Times. No. 59210. p. 4. ISSN   0140-0460.
  11. ↑ "Tony Bland died of kidney failure". The Independent. 5 March 1993. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  12. ↑ White, Clive (15 April 2009). "I sometimes wonder what would Tony be like". Telegraph and Argus. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  13. ↑ Jacob, Liana (22 August 2023). "Yorkshire residents celebrate the transformation of Northern's train carriages after Bradford hospital charity wins retired pacer carriage in 'Transform a Pacer' competition".
  14. ↑ White, Chloe (10 September 2021). "Airedale General Hospital admits a retired Pacer train after winning the 'Transform a Pacer' competition". RailAdvent. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  15. ↑ "Daily Insight: More than just money". Health Service Journal. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  16. ↑ "Five major hospitals to be rebuilt as part of over £20 billion new hospital infrastructure investment". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  17. ↑ Crerar, Pippa (13 September 2023). "Rishi Sunak blocked rebuild of hospitals riddled with crumbling concrete". The Guardian.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.