RWSH, St. Richard’s & Graylingwell Hospital
Royal West Sussex Hospital
The Hospital was established in the year 1784 as a Public Dispensary, and was carried on in some old cottages upon the site of the present building.In the year 1789, it was decided to admit In-Patients, and in 1794 this decision was carried into effect. In 1825 the site, purchased by Voluntary Donations, was conveyed to Trustees. The building was completed in 1826, and has been gradually added to since that date. The area served by this Hospital is South-West Sussex and includes not only the City of Chichester, but also Arundel, Bognor, Midhurst, Petworth and Selsey.
In 1826 Mrs Rogers, the then Matron, received a Wisteria plant from China, which has since grown to become the oldest and largest in the country and adorns the facade of the Hospital.
In 1913 the Hospital was reconstructed, and it was formally re-opened as a Memorial to His Majesty King Edward VII by King George V, and granted the title “Royal”, the name being changed from “West Sussex, East Hants and Chichester Infirmary” to “The Royal West Sussex Hospital”.
In 1928, the original patient lift, which was installed in 1909, was replaced. The Nurses’ Home was opened in 1929. The Pathological Laboratory was opened in 1931, and in 1933 the internal automatic telephone exchange was installed and the Private Wing was opened.
At The Royal West Sussex Hospital, in 1940, 5 Hutted Wards were built and opened with a bed compliment of 200, raising the Hospital accommodation to 314 beds.
After the War, one ward became a Pathological Laboratory and Physical Medicine Department, and another, a Nurses’ Classroom. The three remaining hutted wards having 30 beds in each gave the Hospital a total of 202 beds.
The Hospital became part of the National Health Service in 1948 and Development continued – a new Chapel has been dedicated, the Casualty Department much enlarged, a comfortable Patients’ Visitors’ Waiting Room provided, and the Nurses’ Dining Room and Sitting Room also enlarged. The Main Kitchen had a large fridge installed.
In 1951 the Main Corridors and Staircases of the Hospital were laid with heavy rubber tiles with great success.
In 1953 the first floor was completely remodelled and decorated, providing a Recovery Room opposite the Operating Theatre and vastly improved the Ward Kitchens.
Improvements continued to the Hospital over the following years, but by 1970, the “Royal West” was faced with great expense to upgrade its fire precautions and with much regret the patients from the Main Hospital were all transferred to St Richard’s Hospital. The last hutted ward was closed in 1990.
The main building had been used by Chichester District Health Authority for years until the building was put up for sale in March 1994.
St Richards Hospital
Over the next years phased development of the Hospital continued. In 1961 a twin Theatre block was completed to replace the original theatre.
Two of the huts were converted into the Pathology department, two more into an Obstetric department and one into a Physiotherapy department.
A Paediatric ward was provided from part of a medical ward.
In 1961 a day ward was converted into a Coronary Care Unit.
1968 saw the start made to transform St. Richard’s into a modern District General Hospital.
A new Accident and Emergency Department, Outpatients Department, X-ray Department, two additional operating theatre suites, residential accommodation and a new block containing Maternity, gynaecology and surgical beds was completed by 1970.
1971, a further two theatres with a recovery room was added with Theatre Sterile Supply and Central Sterile Supply Units.
The Theatres at Royal West Sussex Hospital remained open until 1973 and the one at Bognor War Memorial Hospital until 1977.
1975, Barnfield House: Medical Handicap Unit completed and Donald Wilson House for the Young Disabled.
1990 brought the opening of the CT scanner unit.
1994 Day Surgery Unit opened and Diabetic Centre.
The new Main Hospital wing was opened in December 1996.
1999 saw the Munro Unit as Elderly Day Hospital opened, New Hospital Chapel opens near the wards and Medical Records move to Stillman House.
MRI scanner arrives at St Richard’s and the new Chichester Treatment Centre opens in 2004 and the Cancer Day Unit starts it appeal for monies.
Graylingwell Hospital
Originally it took the overflow of patients from St. Francis’ Hospital, Haywards Heath. The capacity was up to 750 patients. More blocks were added in 1930’s providing nurses homes and more beds, bringing accommodation for 1045 patients.
During the 1st World War the civilian patients were moved to other hospitals as Graylingwell was designated as one of 15 psychiatric hospitals to receive war casualties. The 2nd World War brought more casualties into designated wards.
Graylingwell Hospital was passed to the National Health Service on its inception in 1948.
The Hospital was self-sufficient until the late 1950’s with a water tower, generator for electricity and food supplies produced on its own 60 acre market gardens. Meat and Dairy produce came from the two farms.
1957 saw the farms and stock sold off and some of the land was used to build St. Richard’s Hospital.
The last patients left Graylingwell Hospital in May 2001. New NHS facilities in Chichester, Midhurst, Bognor Regis and Worthing were developed.
During the closure of the Hospital, the main building was gradually wound down with some wards converted for administrative purposes and other area disused. The current position is that the site is in partial health use, with services still operating from the admission hospital, Barnfield House and new buildings located close to the South Lodge gate.