Farnham Hospital

Not to be confused with Farnham Road Hospital.
Farnham Hospital

Farnham Hospital — main entrance

Main entrance to the hospital
Location within Surrey
Geography
Location Farnham, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°13′14″N 0°47′05″W / 51.220549°N 0.784633°WCoordinates: 51°13′14″N 0°47′05″W / 51.220549°N 0.784633°W
Organisation
Care system Public NHS
Funding Government hospital
Hospital type Community
History
Founded 1791
Links
Website www.farnhamhospital.nhs.uk
Lists Hospitals in England

Farnham Hospital is a community hospital in Farnham, Surrey, England.[1] It is currently operated by the Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust.[2]

The site of the hospital was originally built as a workhouse in 1791[3] and was mentioned in Sir Frederick Eden's 1797 survey of the poor in England. It was adopted by the local Poor Law Union in 1846.[2][4] Two additional infirmary blocks were built in 1870 and 1900 respectively.[3] It was renamed to the Farnham County Hospital in 1929, then to Farnham Hospital on establishment of the NHS in 1948.[2] It continued to be the main hospital for the area, until the establishment of the larger Frimley Park Hospital in 1974, which took over A&E services that Farnham had provided.[4]

In 1998, the hospital was identified as requiring improvements to provide better healthcare for patients. Construction of a new building started in 2001 and was opened in 2004 by the Countess of Wessex. The new building replaced some of the original 18th-century structures.[4]

The hospital is notable for being visited by Florence Nightingale, who is alleged to have visited the hospital while living in Waverley, a nearby village, before travelling to Scutari, Ottoman Empire in 1854.[5] She presented the hospital with a travelling Holy Communion set, which is stored as an exhibit in the hospital along with a further gift of a crucifix.[5]

Today, the hospital acts as a centre for blood tests, serving outpatients from Frimley Park.[6]

The Friends of Farnham Hospital, a registered charity supporting the hospital by donations, was founded in 1954.[4]

References

  1. "Farnham Hospital". NHS. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Farnham Hospital". National Archives. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Higginbotham, Peter. "The workhouse in Farnham". Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Friends of Farnham Hospital and Centre for Health". Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Farnham's Famous Sons and Daughters". Farnham Town Council. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  6. "Blood tests". Frimley Park Hospital. Retrieved 18 October 2013.

External links