- Battle Hospital
Infobox Hospital
Name = Battle Hospital
Caption = Part of Battle Hospital, in 2005 prior to closure
Location = Reading
Country = UK
HealthCare = NHS
Type = General
Emergency = No
Beds = 280 (1993)
Founded = 1867
Closed = 2005
Website = http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/|Battle Hospital was a
National Health Service hospital in the town of Reading in the English county ofBerkshire . The hospital was located on a large site between Oxford Road and Portman Road, in West Reading.Battle Hospital began its life in 1867 as a
workhouse , the Reading Union Workhouse. Between 1889 and 1892 an infirmary was added with 185 beds for vagrants. During the First World War it became the Reading War Hospital. In 1930 it became a municipal hospital, taking the name Battle Hospital for the first time. In 1948, by now with 384 beds, Battle Hospital became a general hospital under the new National Health Service.cite web | url = http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/history | title = History - Royal Berkshire Hospital | publisher = Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | accessdate = 2008-03-05]In 1952 a new maternity unit, Thames Block, opened. In 1972 the new single storey Abbey block opened. By 1993, Battle Hospital had 280 beds, compared with 760 beds at Reading's other general hospital, the
Royal Berkshire Hospital . Both hospitals were administered by the "Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust".cite web | url = http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/history | title = History - Royal Berkshire Hospital | publisher = Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | accessdate = 2008-03-05]In 2005 the hospital closed, with all its patients and services transferred to the Royal Berkshire Hospital. A new block at that hospital, built to accommodate the extra capacity required to support this move, was named the Battle Block.cite web | url = http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/history | title = History - Royal Berkshire Hospital | publisher = Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | accessdate = 2008-03-05]
The hospital has since been demolished. The western half of the site is now occupied by a large
Tesco supermarket , with its supporting car parks andfilling station . The eastern part of the site is being redeveloped as ahousing estate .References
External links
* [http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/ Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust website]
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