The Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH) is a 527-bedded District General Hospital, located on the fringe of Guildford, serving a population of 320,000 for general services and 1,200,000 for cancer services. The Royal Surrey is also a specialist centre for diabetes, ENT and maxillo facial surgery.
According to recent surveys, the Trust mortality rate has increased. The hospital is among the twelve UK hospitals with the highest death rates.
It is situated close to the University of Surrey allowing it to offer opportunities for research and pioneering treatments such as fibroid embolisation, brachytherapy and minimal access surgery.
The Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford became one of the first NHS Trusts in 1991. It treats over 260,000 patients a year - 56,000 Accident and Emergency, 39,000 in-patients and day-patients and 167,000 outpatients. The Trust's annual income to run its services is £199 million.
It employs 3,400 staff, with 362 doctors, 754 nurses and midwives as well as therapists, scientific and technical and support staff (wholetime equivalent). The Trust has 20 wards comprising general and specialist surgery, obstetrics, paediatrics, oncology, orthopaedics, general and specialist medicine, intensive care and coronary care, with 527 beds in total. There are 12 dedicated surgical theatres, one obstetric and one minor operations theatre and state of the art outpatient, audiology and rehabilitation departments.
From October 2006 to October 2007 a successful campaign was fought to save the hospital, along with St Luke's Cancer Centre, from closure. The campaign attracted the support of over 100,000 local people through petitions, protests, publicity and lobbying at a local and national level. Threats remain however to hospitals in West Sussex as part of the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority's Fit for the Future strategy.
The trust is considered having serious financial concerns .
Famous quotes containing the words royal, surrey, county and/or hospital:
“Oh, I know my family’s not of royal blood, but you needn’t throw it in my face all the time.”
—Robert N. Lee. Rowland V. Lee. Queen Elyzabeth (sic)
“But I was trying to tell you about a strange thing
That happened to me, but this is no way to tell about it,
By making it truly happen. It drifts away in fragments.
And one is left sitting in the yard
To try to write poetry
Using what Wyatt and Surrey left around....”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“Don’t you know there are 200 temperance women in this county who control 200 votes. Why does a woman work for temperance? Because she’s tired of liftin’ that besotted mate of hers off the floor every Saturday night and puttin’ him on the sofa so he won’t catch cold. Tonight we’re for temperance. Help yourself to them cloves and chew them, chew them hard. We’re goin’ to that festival tonight smelling like a hot mince pie.”
—Laurence Stallings (1894–1968)
“Time rushes toward us with its hospital tray of infinitely varied narcotics, even while it is preparing us for its inevitably fatal operation.”
—Tennessee Williams (1914–1983)