Birmingham Accident Hospital

Birmingham Accident Hospital (previously known as Queen's Hospital) (1847 — 1993) was a hospital in Bath Row, Birmingham, England, in the United Kingdom.cite web |url=http://www.institutions.org.uk/hospitals/england/warks/queens_hospital.htm |title=The Queen's Hospital |accessdate=2008-05-01 |author=Rossbret |date=2007-08-06 |work=Rossbret Institutions Website]

In 1836, Richard Curzon-Howe, 1^st Earl Howe and others approached King William IV and on June 22 that year, His Majesty became a Patron of what then became the Royal School of Medicine and Surgery in Birmingham. That patronage continued when Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837. There was serious need for a new hospital, and, in 1839, an appeal was made to fund a new teaching hospital for the medical school under the direction of William Sands Cox. . Sufficient money was raised within one year by subscriptions from prominent members of British society, including Royals such as Dowager Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen.

With funding in place, construction commenced with the laying of the foundation stone by Earl Howe on 18 June, 1840. The hospital was completed in 1841 at a cost of £8,746. Henry Pepys, the Anglican Lord Bishop of Worcester presided over the ceremony formally opening the 70-bed hospital.cite book |title=Kelly's Directory |year=1900 |location=England |url=http://www.institutions.org.uk/hospitals/england/warks/queens_hospital.htm]

The hospital expanded rapidly By 1845 separate wards were added containing 28 beds for infectious and contagious disease cases, raising hospital capacity to 98. In 1867, adjacent grounds were purchased, and in 1871, Lord Leigh laid the foundation stone for a new outpatient department to the strains of a hymn written for the occasion by the Rev. Charles Kingsley and sung by 1,000 child choristers from the Birmingham Schools Choral Union.cite book |title=Hospitals: Birmingham Institutions; Lectures given at the University |last=Lloyd |first=John Henry |year=1911 |publisher=Cornish Brothers Ltd. |location=England |url=http://www.institutions.org.uk/hospitals/england/warks/queens_hospital.htm]

In 1875, Queen's became a free hospital, abandoning the previous system whereby the hospital's financial supporters gave out "subscriber's tickets" to authorize treatment. A one shilling admission fee was charged, but could be waived.

In 1877, 16,117 patients were treated at Queen's, but by 1908, the patient count had more than doubled to 39,483, composed of 2,685 inpatients and 36,708 outpatients. Average annual expenditure from 1909 to 1911 was £14,729, against average receipts £10,778 leaving an average annual deficit of £3,951, covered by endowments and donations.

In 1900, William Humble Ward, 2^nd Earl of Dudley, took over the presidency of the hospital. A new block opened in 1908 with three stories of wards as well as a roof ward for six patients, the first of its kind in Europe. The integrated nursing home's capacity increased from 34 to 74 beds, and the hospital itself now had 60 medical and 118 surgical beds, totalling 178. Bed count and services provided would continue to expand during the 20^th century.

Queen's continued its service as a general hospital until 1941, when it was renamed Birmingham Accident Hospital and focused on providing emergency medical services. It continued as an emergency hospital until 1993, when it closed its doors as part of budget cuts in the National Health Service. It is now part of Queens Hospital Close, a student accommodation complex.

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