- Royal Hospital Haslar
Infobox Hospital
Name = PAGENAME
Org/Group = Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Caption =
Location =Gosport
Region = Hampshire
State = England
Country = UK
HealthCare = NHS
Type = Military / NHS
Speciality =
Emergency = Minor injuries
Affiliation=
Beds = Up to 350
Founded = 1753
Closed = 2009
Website = http://www.portshosp.org.uk Trust
Wiki-Links = |The Royal Hospital Haslar inGosport ,Hampshire ,England , is one of several hospitals serving thePortsmouth Urban Area . The Royal Hospital Haslar officially closed as the last military hospital in the UK in 2007, and is now used by thePortsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust . It currently serves both military and civilian NHS patients.In 2009, the 200 military personnel remaining at Haslar will move to the new Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU) at
Queen Alexandra Hospital inCosham ,Portsmouth , which was opened in 2005.Haslar has a number of specialist facilities including a
decompression chamber and azymotic isolation ward .The site
The grounds are said to contain the bodies of at least 20,000 service personnel.
In 2001 Haslar was designated a Grade II listed historic park. Several of the buildings are listed.
History
The Royal Hospital Haslar began as a
Royal Navy hospital in 1753. It has a long and distinguished history in the medical care of service personnel in peacetime and in war.In 1902 the hospital became known as the "Royal Naval Hospital Haslar" (abbreviated to RNH Haslar).
In the 1940s, RNH Haslar set up the country's first 'blood bank' to help treat wounded soldiers from the
Second World War .In 1966 the remit of the hospital expanded to serve all three services - the
Royal Navy , Army andRoyal Air Force .In 1996 the hospital again became known as the "Royal Hospital Haslar".
In 2001 the provision of acute healthcare within Royal Hospital Haslar was transferred from the Defence Secondary Care Agency to the NHS Trust. The Royal Hospital was the last MOD-owned acute hospital in the UK. The change from military control to the NHS, and the complete closure of the hospital have been the subject of considerable local controversy.
The last military-run ward
The last military-run ward is ward E5, a planned orthopaedic surgery ward. The ward encompasses 21 beds in small 'rooms', and is run by the military staff with some NHS colleagues; the ward manager is a serving military officer. The ward is served by both military and NHS doctors; the ancillary staff are non-military.
The ward is due to close in 2009 along with the rest of the site and military staff will move to new posts within MDHU Portsmouth or other units around the country.
March out
To mark the handover of control to the civilian NHS trust, the military medical staff "marched out" of RH Haslar in 2007, exercising the unit's rights of the freedom of Gosport. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/hampshire/content/articles/2007/03/26/haslar_march_feature.shtml Haslar Hospital closure march] - BBC on-line]
The staff consisted of Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Army led by a band of the
Royal Marines . The Gosport citizens are said to deeply saddened by the closure of Haslar and there are campaigns to keep the hospital open. Gosport politicians cite that that the UK is the only country in the Western world not to have a dedicated Military hospital, run by and for its military staff - who understand the needs and ideology of the service person. At present, most casualties from conflicts return toSelly Oak Hospital, Birmingham .References
External links
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/hampshire/content/articles/2007/03/26/haslar_history_feature.shtml BBC article on the history of the hospital]
* [http://www.qaranc.co.uk/haslarroyalnavalhospital.php QARANC history page]
* [http://www.gosport.gov.uk/sections/your-council/press-releases/march-2007/14-march-2007-1 Military 'March Out', and brief history]
* [http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/trial_records/17th_18th_Century/lind_biog/haslar.html Images of the Royal Hospital Haslar]
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