- Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children
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Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children 
Hospital entrance Geography Location Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Coordinates 33°48′06″S 150°59′31″E / 33.8017°S 150.992°ECoordinates: 33°48′06″S 150°59′31″E / 33.8017°S 150.992°E Organisation Care system Public Medicare (AU) Hospital type Teaching Affiliated university University of Sydney Services Emergency department Yes Speciality Children's hospital History Founded 1880 Links Website http://www.chw.edu.au/ Lists Hospitals in Australia The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children (otherwise known as The Children's Hospital at Westmead) is a children's hospital in Sydney, Australia. The Hospital was founded in 1880 as "The Sydney Hospital for Sick Children". Its name was changed to the "Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children" on 4 January 1904 when King Edward VII granted use of the appellation ‘Royal’ and his consort, Queen Alexandra, consented to the use of her name.
It is one of three children's hospitals in NSW located on Hawkesbury Road in Westmead and is affiliated with the University of Sydney.
On July 1, 2010 it became part of the newly formed 'Sydney Children's Hospital Network (Randwick and Westmead) incorporating the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children'.[1]
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Name and relocation
The hospital was opened in 1880 as the Sydney Hospital for Sick Children by a group of concerned citizens, led by Lady Allen the wife of Sir George Wigram Allen, who were worried about the health of the younger members of society in New South Wales. It soon out-grew the small building in which it was housed at Glebe Point and had to move in 1906 to Camperdown, where it stayed for 89 years before relocating to its current location of Westmead in 1995 to better serve the growing populations of western Sydney. This relocation involved amalgamation with most of the paediatric services of nearby Westmead Hospital (apart from neonates) to form a new hospital with a new name; initially "The New Children's Hospital" and more recently "The Children's Hospital at Westmead". The official name of the hospital; the "Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children" is retained.
Notable doctors
Some notable individuals connected to the history of the Children's Hospital are:
- Sir Charles Clubbe (1854–1932) - was the President of the hospital's Board of Management from 1904 until 1932, can perhaps be called the father of the Children's Hospital and is sometime also mentioned as one of the fore-fathers of Australian orthopaedic surgery. Sir Charles Clubbe has a ward named after him.
- Dr Margaret Harper (1879–1964), paediatrician, who discovered the difference between coeliac disease and cystic fibrosis of the pancreas in 1930.
- Sir Norman Gregg (1892–1966), ophthalmologist, was the first person to identify German measles as a cause for congenital deformities.
- Dr Lindsay Dey CBE (1886-1973), paediatrician, was the President of the hospital's Board of Management from 1946 until 1959.
Notable patients
Some notable individuals connected to the history of the Children's Hospital are:
- Francis Chan (born 1991): the youngest liver transplant patient in Australia at three months old. He underwent two transplants three days apart as the first transplant failed until the last-minute call came in time for another transplant to save his life. He currently attends St Andrew's Cathedral School.
- Sophie Delezio (born 2001):
Adolescent health
The New South Wales Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health (NSW CAAH) is located at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead. The Centre seeks to improve the health and well-being of young people aged 12 – 24 in NSW, Australia. NSW CAAH key focus areas include developing information and resources; capacity building to increase workers’ skills and confidence in adolescent health; supporting applied research; advocacy & policy development to increase leadership and action for adolescent health.[2]
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Medical Centre
See also
References
Categories:- Children's hospitals in Australia
- Teaching hospitals in Australia
- Hospitals in Sydney
- Government agencies of New South Wales
- Organisations based in Australia with royal patronage
- Hospitals established in 1880
- 1880 establishments in Australia
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