Emergency Hospital Service (Scotland) facts for kids
The Emergency Hospital Service (EHS) was a big project in Scotland during the 1940s. It was all about building and improving hospitals. The Scottish government paid for it. This was a huge effort, unlike anything seen before in Europe at the time.
In just a few years, the EHS made Scotland's hospitals much bigger. They added 20,500 new beds, increasing the hospital space by 60%. After World War II, about 13,000 of these EHS hospital beds became part of the new Scottish National Health Service. This new health service started in 1948. It also used staff and facilities from an older service called the Highlands and Islands Medical Service.
Why the EHS Started
The EHS began in 1939. This was at the start of World War II. The main reason was to prepare for many injured people. Leaders expected German planes to bomb cities in Scotland. They thought many civilians (people who are not soldiers) would get hurt.
Scotland was a very important place. Some believed it would be a safe place for people to resist if Germany invaded England. Scottish government workers already had experience running health services. They had managed the Highlands and Islands Medical Service since 1913. So, they put their efforts into this new hospital building plan.
Hospitals for Everyone
Luckily, the expected large number of injured civilians did not happen. So, the new hospitals were mostly empty. Tom Johnston was a key leader in Scotland from 1941 to 1945. He decided to use these empty buildings for something else. He wanted to help people who had to wait a long time for surgery. By the end of the war in 1945, the EHS had treated 33,000 civilian patients.
Johnston also used the EHS hospitals for new types of special medical care. This care was paid for by the public. It included things like:
- Bone and joint care (orthopaedics)
- Plastic surgery
- Treating eye injuries
- Helping with mental health issues (psychoneurosis)
- Brain and nerve surgery (neurosurgery)
The EHS also helped create a national service for studying diseases (pathology). In 1940, it helped start the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Association. This group worked to make blood transfusions better.
Where EHS Hospitals Were Built
New hospitals were built in several places across Scotland. These included:
- Ballochmyle, in Ayrshire
- Bridge of Earn, in Perthshire
- Killearn, in Stirlingshire
- Law, in Lanarkshire
- Peel, in Selkirkshire
- Raigmore, in Inverness
- Stracathro, near Brechin, in Angus
The Germans knew about the EHS building work. Their spies thought these were military buildings. So, they marked Law and Stracathro hospitals on their maps as army barracks.
Besides the 7 new hospitals and one clinic, the EHS also added new parts to hospitals that already existed. For example, a new section at Bangour Village Hospital in West Lothian grew into Bangour General Hospital.
Some hotels were also used to help patients get better. They were turned into places for people to recover after treatment. For instance, the Gleneagles Hotel was used to care for injured miners.
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