Wellington Hospital, New Zealand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wellington Hospital |
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| Te Whatu Ora | |
Wellington Regional Hospital main building in April 2020
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| Geography | |
| Location | Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Organisation | |
| Funding | Public hospital |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
| Helipad | (ICAO: NZWH) |
| History | |
| Founded | 1847 |
Wellington Hospital, also known as Wellington Regional Hospital, is the main hospital in Wellington, New Zealand. It is located south of the city centre in the suburb of Newtown. This hospital is run by Te Whatu Ora, Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley.
The hospital helps people from Wellington City, Porirua, and the Kāpiti Coast District. Nearby areas like Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt have their own hospital, Hutt Hospital.
Wellington Hospital is the main specialist hospital for the Wellington Region. It offers complex and urgent medical care. This includes services like the Intensive Care Unit, heart surgery, cancer treatment, and brain surgery. It is a special hospital where patients from the lower North Island and top of the South Island are sent for advanced care. This includes regions like Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, Tasman, Nelson, and Marlborough. It also helps people from the Chatham Islands.
The hospital works closely with the University of Otago, Wellington. The university's medical and health sciences campus is right next to the hospital buildings.
Contents
What Services Does Wellington Hospital Offer?
Main Hospital Services
Wellington Hospital has many beds for patients. It provides health services for children, maternity care for new mothers, and different types of surgery. It also offers general medical care for various illnesses.
Mental Health Support
Wellington Hospital has a separate building for mental health services. This facility is on the hospital campus and provides special care for people needing mental health support.
Te Wao Nui: Child Health Services
Te Wao Nui is the name for the hospital's child health services. These services are in a new building called the Mark Dunajtschik and Dorothy Spotswood Building. It opened in 2022 and is designed especially for kids.
Emergency Department
The Emergency Department (ED) is where people go for urgent medical help. It is located on Riddiford Street.
A Look Back: The Hospital's History
Early Days: 1880s to 1920
The very first hospital in Wellington was built in 1847 in Thorndon. It was called the Colonial Hospital. This hospital was for both Māori and pākehā people. A new hospital building in Newtown started being built in 1876 and opened in 1881.
Between 1881 and 1912, the hospital grew a lot. It added six new buildings and more services. A special home for nurses opened in 1904. In 1910, a hospital for infectious diseases, called the Ewart Hospital, was built.
A children's hospital, the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, opened in 1912. It had beautiful nursery rhyme pictures made of Royal Doulton tiles. These tiles cost a lot of money back then!
During World War I, the hospital faced many challenges. There were many sick soldiers and staff shortages. The 1918 flu epidemic also put a lot of pressure on the hospital.
Growing and Changing: 1920s to 1940s
After World War I, the hospital added many new specialist departments. These included care for tuberculosis, mental health, and cancer. A new main administration building opened in 1927.
The hospital faced money problems during the Great Depression. Building plans were delayed. During World War II, the hospital was very busy with military patients and staff shortages. A new building, the 210 block, was finished in 1944. This helped reduce overcrowding. The hospital celebrated its 100th birthday in 1947.
Modernizing the Hospital: 1950s to 1970s
From the 1950s to the 1970s, many plans were made to update the hospital. New medical specialties like heart care and kidney dialysis needed space. There was also a need to train medical students. A special clinical school for the University of Otago, Wellington was created in 1977.
New operating theatres and patient beds were urgently needed. A new building with these facilities opened. This allowed for more advanced heart and chest surgeries. Several new buildings opened in the 1970s, including the Clinical Services building and the Grace Neill block for maternity services.
New Buildings and Demolitions: 1980s to 1990s
More new buildings opened in 1980. To make space for these, many older hospital buildings were taken down. The original 1881 building was demolished. The King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (the old children's hospital) was also taken down when a new children's hospital opened in 1988. Luckily, the special nursery rhyme tiles were saved and put back up in 1992.
The 2000s and Beyond
A new Emergency Department (ED) opened in 2000. In 2023, the government announced plans for an even newer and bigger ED.
In 2002, a big project began to redevelop the hospital. This included building a new main hospital building. It has a modern Intensive Care Unit and new operating theatres. This new hospital was officially opened in 2009. In 2010, Prince William visited children at the hospital.
In September 2022, the new Mark Dunajtschik and Dorothy Spotswood Building opened. This building is for child health services (Te Wao Nui). Local property developers, Mark Dunajtschik and Dorothy Spotswood, gave $53 million to help build it. Both the main hospital and the children's hospital have special features to protect them during an earthquake.
The Nurses' Memorial Chapel
The Nurses' Memorial Chapel was a special place to remember nurses. It was one of only three such chapels in New Zealand. Planning for the chapel began in 1933, and people raised a lot of money to build it.
The chapel opened in 1965. It had beautiful stained-glass windows. These windows showed different scenes, including saints, Florence Nightingale's lamp, and the New Zealand Registered Nurses badge. Some windows also featured Māori kowhaiwhai patterns. Many windows were dedicated to former hospital staff.
The chapel was used for services and as a quiet place for reflection. However, over time, fewer religious services were held. In 2000, it became a Nursing Education Centre. The chapel building was taken down in 2004 to make way for new hospital developments. The stained-glass windows were saved and put into the chapel in the new hospital building in 2010.
Who Are Some Famous Staff?
Many important people have worked at Wellington Hospital over the years. Here are a few:
- Eric Anson, an anaesthetist
- Agnes Bennett, one of the first women doctors
- Ellen Dougherty, a nurse
- John Ewart, a medical superintendent
- Truby King, a medical superintendent
- Grace Neill, a nurse
See also
