Victoria Hospital (Kirkcaldy)

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Location
Victoria Hospital NHS Fife Acute Hospital Trust
Place	Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, (UK)
Organisation
Care System	Public NHS
Hospital Type	General Hospital ^[1]
Services
Emergency Dept.	Yes Accident & Emergency
Beds	458 ^[2]
History
Founded	1967 ^[2]
Links
Website	Homepage
See also	Hospitals in Scotland

Victoria Hospital serves the town of Kirkcaldy and Mid-Fife area and is one of the two main hospitals in the kingdom of Fife. The Victoria has been run by Fife Acute Hospital NHS trust since 1999, formerly the Kirkcaldy Acute Hospital trust [1]

The Hospital consists of three wings: East, West and South and a main tower block. The Hospital is in line for a refurbishment plan to coincide with the new wing as part of the trust's long term focus for the site. ^[1]

1 History
2 Services
3 Public Transport
4 Maggie's Centre
5 Hospital Extension
6 References
7 External Links

[edit] History

The Fever Hospital and Sanatorium once occupied a corner of the current site, which specialised in infectious diseases and tuberculosis. The Sanatorium along with the former Cottage and Hunter hospitals were built during the 19th century in order to cope with demand as hospital treatment became more prevolent[2].

The Cottage hospital was still the main hospital in the town until this time operating since 1890. ^[3] When Kirkcaldy needed a much bigger and centralised hospital to deal with the strains caused by a burgeoning population, permission was granted for two modern developments to be built between the late 1950s and early 1960s which gave the entire complex a new overall name - Victoria. The new hospital officially opened in 1967, although little has remained of the former site. ^[4]

[edit] Services

[edit] Hospital Facilities

Victoria Hospital provides many facilities for the catchment area. These include an A&E department (which is due to relocate into the new wing in 2010); Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) unit; Anaesthesia; Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Paediatric Surgery; Mental Heath Services; Infectious Diseases and Operating Theatres (also due to relocate into the new wing in 2010). [3]

[edit] Whyteman's Brae Hospital

Whyteman's Brae Hospital is part of the complex and is situated across the road from Victoria on Whyteman's Brae [4]. The hospital caters for both psychiatry and elderly patients [5].

[edit] Hospital Radio

Victoria Hospital has a radio station called Victoria Radio Network (VRN 1287), which has been broadcasting since 1971. VRN is now considered one of the UK's longest running and successful hospital radios still on air. In 2002, the station was awarded a license to broadcast on Medium Wave 1287KHz (AM) and transmits 24-hours a day.

[edit] Hospital downgrading

The hospital was threatened with the possible loss of its A & E Department in 2005. These services were to be moved to Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline but the proposal was withdrawn after a severe backlash. [6]

[edit] Public Transport

Victoria Hospital is situated to the north of the town centre. There are main bus routes that serve the catchment area for the hospital particularly from Glenrothes, Leven and from the Railway Station. Bus stances can be found adjacent to the east wing entrance and on the opposite side of the road.^[5]

Maggie's Centre, Kirkcaldy

[edit] Maggie's Centre

The hospital has an adjacent Maggie's Centre for cancer sufferers [7], one of five currently existing in Scotland, which opened in November 2006. [8] The centre, shaped like a prism, was designed by Zaha Hadid, and is her only completed building to date in the United Kingdom. The money for the project was raised via the Fife Free Press' Maggie's Appeal. [9]

[edit] Hospital Extension

A major new wing to the south of the current tower block started in 2007 is due to be open and completed in 2010 ^[1] as part of plans to centralise acute services by the NHS trust at this hospital. ^[6] This will include an emergency care centre, maternity unit (to replace those in Forth Park at present), critical care, coronary care, an ultrasound scanner and 11 new operating theatres. A new A&E department will form part of the new development, among other re-located services. The area surrounding the hospital is expected to be changed with the construction of new signal controlled junctions; a new mini-roundabout and a possible park and ride system[10] to prevent traffic gridlock in the area. New car spaces will also be provided at both the north and south ends of the hospital. [11]