Belford Hospital

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

Belford Hospital
NHS Highland
Belford Hospital
Location in Lochaber
Location in Scotland
Location in United Kingdom
Geography
LocationFort William, Highland, Scotland
Coordinates56°49′10″N 5°6′14″W
Organisation
Care systemNHS Scotland
TypeRural general hospital
Affiliated universityUniversity of Aberdeen
Services
Emergency departmentYes
Beds34
HelipadYes
History
Opened1863
Links
WebsiteOfficial Website
ListsHospitals in Scotland

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 accredition 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]

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