University Hospital of Wales
University Hospital of Wales , also known as the Heath Hospital, is a 1,080-bed hospital in the Heath district of Cardiff, Wales. It is a teaching hospital of Cardiff [University School of Medicine]. Construction started in 1963, and the official opening took place in 1971. It was Europe's first fully integrated hospital and medical school, at a cost of £22 million. It is the third largest university hospital in the UK, and the largest hospital in Wales. The hospital was previously managed by Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust. In 2009 the Trust was dissolved and the hospital is now managed by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
History
Construction
Planning for construction of the hospital began in 1951. The land was provided by Cardiff Council, which selected the site based on its accessibility from other parts of Wales as well as within Cardiff. The Welsh Board of Health and University Grants Committee outlined the criteria for an 820-bed hospital in 1953 and proposed a competition for architects to submit plans, although this was not sanctioned until 1958 due to concerns over funding.The competition was launched in April 1959 and judged by Sir Percy Thomas, J.H. Forshaw, F.R.S. Yorke, A. Trevor Jones and A.R. Culley. Forty entries were submitted and the winning design was by Stanley Wayman Milburn, an architect with a special interest in schools and hospitals and who had previously designed 10 hospitals in the north east of England.
The architecture of the hospital is dominated by long, parallel slabs, one eight-storied, the other five-storied. The Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, completed in 1975, followed a similar design.
Construction began in 1963 and the dental school opened to clinical students in 1965. Construction of the main hospital building began in 1966 and the topping out ceremony was conducted by G.R. Findlater on 4 July 1969, the eve of the 21st anniversary of the founding of the National Health Service. The hospital was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 19 November 1971.
Operation
In 1978, the main building was found to have deteriorated dangerously; £1 million was spent on repairs. The Welsh Office revealed in 1981 that a further £7.7 million was required for repairs.In 2005, Base Structures completed a £1 million project by to construct a walkway joining separate parts of the hospital.
In August 2009, a £16 million birthing centre was opened at the hospital, with three birthing pools. The Midwife Led Unit handles around 90 births a month. In February 2010, a new delivery suite was completed at the Women's Unit, with 14 delivery rooms and two dedicated operating theatres.
In early 2019, the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board announced plans to build a new hospital by 2030, as part of a wider reorganisation of hospital services, including the University Hospital Llandough, Noah's Ark Children's Hospital, Cardiff Royal Infirmary, Barry Hospital and Whitchurch Hospital.
In September 2020, the University Hospital of Wales became the major trauma centre for the South Wales region.
On 8 February 2021, Lakeside Wing was completed. The modular building houses a multi-disciplinary model of care, with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, pharmacists, healthcare support workers and registered nurses all working in the facility. The wing accommodates up to 400 beds.