University Hospital Coventry
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Three floor beige and circular building with big glass windows. Seen from the front, a Main Entrance metallic sign is above the door, and between the second and third floor, "University Hospital" is displayed with big letters.
The main entrance
Geography
LocationClifford Bridge Road, Coventry, England
Coordinates52°25′16″N 1°26′16″W / 52.4212°N 1.4378°W / 52.4212; -1.4378
Organisation
Care systemNHS
TypeGeneral
Affiliated universityUniversity of Warwick
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds1,064
Helipads
HelipadYes
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 46 14 Paved
History
Construction startedJuly 2002
Opened10 July 2006
Links
Websiteuhcw.nhs.uk
ListsHospitals in England

University Hospital Coventry is a large National Health Service (NHS) hospital situated in the Walsgrave on Sowe area of Coventry, West Midlands, England, 4 miles (6 km) north-east of the city centre. It is part of the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, and is the principal hospital serving Coventry and Rugby, providing a wide range of services. It works in partnership with the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School. It has a large, progressive accident & emergency department providing a trauma service to Coventry and Warwickshire.

The hospital was opened in 2006 as a 1,250 bed 'super hospital', replacing the previous Walsgrave Hospital on the same site, and the city-centre Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital.[1]

History

Walsgrave Hospital

The original hospital on the site, known as Walsgrave Hospital, was mostly constructed in the 1960s, with work beginning in 1963,[2] It had four major units; they were the Maternity Unit, the Geriatric Unit, the General Unit, which had a number of specialist departments and ten operating theatres, and the Psychiatric Unit. It was opened in stages: the maternity unit opened in 1966, the general unit opened in 1969 and the psychiatric unit opened in 1973.[3]

Medical services in Coventry were split between Walsgrave Hospital and the older Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital in the city-centre, which caused operational difficulties; the separation of accident and emergency from the main hospital services was considered especially problematic. Accordingly, in 1992 plans were announced to close the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital, and move all medical services to a single site, however it would take another decade before this came to fruition.[4]

Current hospital

The Walsgrave, and Coventry and Warwickshire Hospitals were replaced by a new 'super hospital' at the Walsgrave site which was procured under a private finance initiative (PFI) contract in 2002. The new hospital was designed by Nightingale Associates[5] and built by Skanska at a cost of £440 million.[6] Construction started in July 2002 and it was opened on 10 July 2006, and the two older hospitals it replaced were closed at the same time.[4][7] Skanska subsequently sold its stake to Innisfree for £66 million.[8] Demolition of the old Walsgrave Hospital began in late 2006, and was completed in 2008, with the hospital car park now covering its site.[9]

The new hospital created several controversies: The decision to close the city-centre Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital, which was easily accessible by public transport, and move all of the city's medical services to a site on the eastern edge of the city, was controversial with people who lived on the other side of Coventry. Supporters of the hospital however argued in favour of having all of the services under one roof.[4] Another controversy was the long term cost of the private finance initiative (pfi) deal to build the hospital: In 2019 it was revealed that University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust paid 12.5% of their income per year to the contractor, and that by the end of the contract, they would have spent an estimated £3.7 billion, almost ten times the original capital expenditure of £379 million.[10] However, HM Treasury published a full list of PFI contracts in March 2015: this showed that the total unitary payments over the life of the contract would be £3.7 billion i.e. not just covering debt interest and repayments but also including estate management, cleaning, catering, security, electricity, water etc.[11]

As of 2020, the hospital was equipped with 1,064 beds and 26 operating theatres.[12] On 26 March 2012, the hospital was designated as one of four trauma units in the West Midlands Region.[13] In 2012, the planning committee approved an application to build a new car park at the hospital, to help improve ongoing congestion and traffic issues.[14]

The trust was one of 26 responsible for half of the national growth in patients waiting more than four hours in accident and emergency over the 2014/5 winter.[15]

On 8 December 2020, the UK's COVID-19 vaccination programme began at the hospital, when Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of trial conditions.[16]

Performance

It was named by the Health Service Journal as one of the top hundred NHS trusts to work for in 2015. At that time it had 6198 full-time equivalent staff and a sickness absence rate of 3.99%. 70% of staff recommend it as a place for treatment and 64% recommended it as a place to work.[17]

In January 2023 it was revealed that only 59% of A&E patients at the hospital were seen within four hours, below the average in England (65%), and significantly below the target set by the NHS of 95% of patients being seen within this time.[18]

In 2023 the Care Quality Commission rated the hospital as "good" overall, but noted that neurosurgery needed improvement.[19]

Coventry Hospital Radio

The hospital plays host to Coventry Hospital Radio, a free station provided through the Hospedia bedside units and now online via their website. The station is situated on the 5th floor and is available to all wards and online via the website providing music, entertainment and chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.[20][21]

In 2019, Coventry Hospital Radio was shortlisted for three National HBA Radio Awards. Radio presenter, Dan Sambell, won a Gold award for "Best Male Presenter" and husband and wife team Colin and Annette Gutteridge were awarded Bronze for Programme With Multiple Presenters.[22][23]

The Meriden Hospital

The Meriden Hospital is a private hospital run by BMI Healthcare. It is opposite the NHS hospital in the hospital complex.[24]

Myton Hospice

Also within the hospital complex, adjacent to the NHS hospital is Coventry Myton Hospice which was opened in 2009. This is not an NHS facility, but is funded mostly by charitable donations.[25][26]

Transport

University Hospital Coventry has 9 bus stands outside the main entrance and 5 in other areas of the hospital. A lane on the 2 lane approach road off of the A4600 is for buses and emergency vehicles only the 9 platinum electric service operated by national express terminates at the bus stands and the X6, which goes to Leicester, calls here. It has links to the M69 and M6 via the A4600 and it also has road links into the city centre.[27] The first line of the planned Coventry Very Light Rail system is proposed to run from University Hospital Coventry to Coventry railway station.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Coventry's super-hospital opens its doors". Business Live. 10 July 2006. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "An architectural model of the Walsgrave Hospital, Coventry, showing the main hospital block". Historic England. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  3. ↑ "The Walgrave Hospital". BBC. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Closing of a Hospital A Heated Debate". University of Warwick. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "Past, Present, Future". Nightingale Associates. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Fire safety fears force remedial work at Skanska PFI hospital". Construction Enquirer. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "One of Europe's largest Hospital opens in Coventry". uhcw.nhs.uk. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. 10 July 2006. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Multinational firm Skanksa sells its stake in the PFI company behind University Hospital, Coventry". 1 December 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "End of an era as Walsgrave Hospital is demolished". 21 November 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "The shocking amount Coventry hospital trust owes in PFI debt". Coventry Telegraph. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "Current Projects as at 31 March 2015". HM Treasury. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Inspection Report". Care Quality Commission. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Four West Midlands hospitals given trauma centre status". BBC Online. BBC News. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  14. ↑ Manger, Warren (11 May 2012). "New Coventry University Hospital car park given go-ahead". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  15. ↑ "26 trusts responsible for half of national A&E target breach". Health Service Journal. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "90-year-old Coventry grandmother Margaret Keenan becomes first patient in the world to receive Covid-19 vaccine". Coventry Observer. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  17. ↑ "HSJ reveals the best places to work in 2015". Health Service Journal. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "A&E waiting times hit new high as patients left for hours at University Hospital Coventry". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "University Hospital". Care Quality Commission. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "Coventry Hospital Radio (CHR)". hbauk.com. Hospital Broadcasting Association. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  21. ↑ "Volunteers". uhcw.nhs.uk. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  22. ↑ "Hospital Radio Presenter claim GOLD and BRONZE". Coventry Hospital Radio. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  23. ↑ "BEST NEWCOMER 2012 RESULTS". hbauk.com. Hospital Broadcasting Association. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  24. ↑ "Overview - BMI The Meriden Hospital". nhs.uk. NHS. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  25. ↑ "Myton Hospice celebrates 40 years of caring for people across Warwickshire". Warwickshire World. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  26. ↑ "Coventry Myton Hospice". mytonhospice.org. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  27. ↑ "Timetables". National Express Coventry. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  28. ↑ "Coventry's 'very light' railway to be UK's first as part of £1.3bn transport network plan". Coventry Telegraph. 22 January 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
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