Royal Victoria Infirmary

The Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, was opened on 11 July 1906 by Edward VII on ten acres of Town Moor given by the Corporation and Freemen. The fully furnished and equipped hospital, containing twenty wards, a nurses' home, chapel and five operating theatres, cost over £300,000. The statue of Queen Victoria was the gift of Riley Lord, who was knighted for his efforts in getting the Infirmary built. Overcrowding was a problem, with waiting lists of over 5,000 in the 1930s and until joining the National Health Service, money had to be raised for extensions and new equipment - always difficult especially in the depression years. The Royal Victoria Infirmary has always had close links with the Faculty of Medical Sciences at University of Newcastle upon Tyne as a major teaching hospital

The Royal Victoria Infirmary is managed by the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust is currently embarking on a major project, "Transforming the Newcastle Hospitals", which is the culmination of over 12 years of work by the Trust and was previously known as the "Newcastle Strategic Review". The Review period is now over and construction works have started on both the Freeman and Royal Victoria Infirmary sites. [ [http://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/patientvisitorinfo/transformingnewcastlehospitals Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ] ]

External links

* [http://www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk/ Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Trust]
* [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/details.asp?id=1270&page=52 RVI details at National Archives]