WARRINGTON and Halton Teaching Hospitals (WHH) and its partners are celebrating the 75th anniversary milestone of the NHS this week.
Throughout the birthday week and beyond, Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals will be celebrating the past and looking to the future by sharing #NHS75 stories and accounts from staff, volunteers and patients, past and present on social media and their website.
A range of national events are also planned for July 5th, including an NHS75 service at Westminster Abbey, London at which all local NHS organisations will be represented.
Meamnwhile on 8 July the NHS in England has teamed up with parkrun UK for a special ‘parkrun for the NHS’, followed by a junior parkrun on 9 July. This includes parkruns in Runcorn, Warrington and Widnes. Everyone is welcome to walk, jog, run or volunteer or simply go along to show support. For more information visit www.parkrun.org.uk
Since the NHS was founded on 5 July 1948, it has always innovated and adapted to meet to needs of each generation. The founding principles remain as relevant and valued today as they were 75 years ago.
Exactly 75 years from the birth of the National Health Service in 1948, inpatients at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals will be treated to an afternoon tea with a themed 75th birthday cake and staff will receive refreshments as a thank you for their hard work and commitment to caring for patients.
Members of the local community will also be sharing their support for the NHS with birthday performances at Warrington Hospital main entrance between 11am and 1pm, including the PossAbilities Signing Choir and WHH’s Staff Choir. Patients and visitors to both Warrington and Halton hospitals are also invited to share their thoughts on what the NHS means to them.
Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals Charity will also be holding a special NHS75 tombola, supported by Warrington ASDA community champions, in Warrington Hospital main entrance between 10am and 2.30pm to raise funds to enhance the experience of patients in our hospitals.
At Halton Hospital, patients and visitors can come and talk to staff and public governors at the George Lloyd Restaurant, Nightingale Building, between 10am and 12noon.
In the evening, the Mersey Gateway Bridge between Widnes and Runcorn will be lit up courtesy of Halton Council and Warrington Town Hall will be lit blue by Warrington Council as part of a special NHS75 #LightUpBlueNW campaign.
Chief Executive of Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals, Simon Constable, said: “We are proud to be part of the NHS and the wider health and care system serving our communities. This milestone anniversary is an opportunity not only to reflect on the past but to think about the future and how we can work together to deliver the best care and experience for our patients and respond to the needs of our communities.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my enormous gratitude to our staff, volunteers and governors, past and present, for their immense contribution over the years.”
The timeline of Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals
1898: Warrington General Hospital was created from the old Victorian workhouse building.
1929: Renamed Warrington Borough Hospital, which was how it was known when the NHS was created on 5th July 1948. To this day some people still call it the Borough. There were two other hospitals on the Warrington site; Aikin Street (an infectious diseases hospital) and Whitecross Hospital, which was run by the military.
1973: Warrington District General Hospital created by merging all hospitals on site.
1970s/1980s: Demolition of these buildings makes way for the current hospital to grow in four stages: Appleton Wing, then Burtonwood Wing, Croft Wing, and later Daresbury Wing in the 1990s.
1976: Halton General Hospital opened in Runcorn, part of the development of Runcorn New Town.
1993: Hospitals are handed over from Warrington Health Authority to the newly formed Warrington Hospital NHS Trust and from Halton Health Authority to the new Halton General Hospital NHS Trust.
1996: An official charity was registered to enhance the experience of patients and their families to provide additional comforts and support beyond which the NHS is able to provide.
2001: North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust is formed by the merger of Warrington Hospital NHS Trust and Halton General Hospital NHS Trust.
2006: Warrington becomes the centre for acute medical and emergency care and planned surgical work is moved to Halton General. Halton retains some urgent care services (now the Urgent Treatment Centre).
2008: A further name change as following the achievement of Foundation Trust status, the trust becomes Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
2012: The Trust takes ownership of Cheshire and Merseyside Treatment Centre at Halton from a private healthcare provider and services including orthopaedic surgery services move into the building.
2019: The Trust achieves Teaching Hospital status and becomes Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
2020: The Trust responds to the global COVID-19 pandemic and mobilises a COVID-19 Vaccination Service. Halton General Hospital is renamed Halton Hospital with buildings renamed as Nightingale Building (formerly the general hospital) and The Captain Sir Tom Moore Building (formerly Cheshire and Merseyside Treatment Centre).
2021: A Clinical Research Unit, new Breast Care Centre and Pre-Treatment Unit open at Halton and the Habab Education Centre and a new Acute Respiratory Unit open at Warrington Hospital.
2022: Developments at Warrington include a new Same Day Emergency Care Centre, MRI Centre and a refurbished outpatients department for children and young people.
2023: Halton Health Hub at Runcorn Shopping City opens in February, supporting residents to access health services more easily and quickly. The Warrington and Halton Diagnostics Centre commences services at Nightingale Building, Halton and plans are underway for more diagnostic services to be provided from Halton Health Hub and Captain Sir Tom Sir Tom Moore Building.
