Belford_Hospital

Belford Hospital

Belford Hospital

Rural general hospital in Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland

Belford Hospital, locally known as The Belford, is a rural general hospital in Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Highland.

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History

The original hospital, which was financed by a legacy from Andrew Belford and designed by Henry Burrell, opened in 1865.[1] A prefabricated hospital for fever patients was erected in the grounds in 1893 but, after it burnt down in 1900, was replaced by a more permanent structure in 1901.[1] The main facility was extended following a donation by Balfour Beatty in 1928.[1] After the existing facility proved inadequate, a new hospital, which was designed by Joseph Gleave and built by Arnott Macleod, was officially opened by Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon in April 1965.[1]

When the Scottish Executive looked at reorganising rural health care in 2004 there were clear reasons put forward to retain provision of an emergency service at the Belford.[2] Following this there were calls to work more closely with the Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban.[3] In 2006, following the Kerr report, the Belford was designated a rural general hospital.[4]

At the end of November 2009 the surgical and medical wards were merged to form a Combined Assessment Unit (CAU).[5]

Services

There are 34 inpatient beds and a 10-bedded day case unit.[6] The emergency department sees around 9,000 patients a year[7] making it one of the smallest in Scotland; however due to its proximity to the outdoor activity centres in the Lochaber region sees proportionally a significant amount of trauma prior to transfer to tertiary centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.[8]

There is also a midwife-led service to provide maternity care. In September 2009 it achieved stage 1 of the baby-friendly accreditation programme.[9] Although equipped to perform antenatal ultrasound scans, this service has not been offered at the Belford since June 2012, because of a national shortage of appropriately trained staff.[10] There are also specialist in-patient services for older people.[11]

References

  1. [1]
    "Belford Hospital". Historic Hospitals. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  2. [2]
    Martin, Lorna (22 August 2004). "Mountain capital fights to save vital A&E unit". The Observer. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  3. [3]
    "Hospitals avoid service cutbacks". BBC News. 1 October 2004. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  4. [4]
    "A Bright New Future for Belford". NHS Highland. 7 February 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  5. [5]
    "Belford Hospital Services Redesigned to Improve Delivery". NHS Highland. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  6. [6]
    "Inspecting and regulating care: Belford Aug 14". Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  7. [7]
    "Belford Hospital". NHS Highland. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  8. [8]
    "Mountain Rescue Committee Scotland" (PDF). National Library of Scotland. 1 January 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  9. [9]
    "Belford Hospital, Fort William". Baby Friendly Initiative. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  10. [10]
    Munro, Alistair (24 April 2013). "Fort William mothers-to-be forced to travel for scan". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  11. [11]
    "Plans for Belford Hospital ward change". BBC News. 28 June 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
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