Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary is the main hospital in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The hospital is managed by NHS Dumfries and Galloway.
| Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary | |
|---|---|
| NHS Dumfries and Galloway | |
 The new Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary at the Garroch roundabout which opened in 2018 | |
  Shown in Dumfries and Galloway | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°03′38″N 3°39′22″W / 55.0605°N 3.6561°W |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | NHS Scotland |
| Type | General |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
| Beds | 344[1] |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
History
The hospital has its origins in a small facility at Mill Hole in Burns Street in central Dumfries which opened as the Dumfries Infirmary in 1776.[2]
The hospital moved to High Dock in 1778 before becoming the Dumfries and Galloway Infirmary in 1785 and the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary in 1807.[2] Dr William Scott administered sulphuric ether, in the first use of anesthetics in the United Kingdom, at the High Dock facility in 1846.[3] The High Dock facility has since been demolished.[3]
The hospital relocated to a new building at Nithbank which was designed by John Starforth, completed in 1873 and was extended in 1897.[2] The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948.[2] The old Nithbank facility was subsequently used to accommodate the offices of NHS Dumfries and Galloway.[4]
The hospital moved again this time to a facility at Bankend Road, which was designed by Boswell, Mitchell & Johnston and opened by the Queen in 1975.[5] A cancer care centre was opened by Princess Alexandra in 2003.[5] The old Bankend Road facility continues to be used as the Mountainhall Treatment Centre.[6]
In 2012 it was announced that a new 350-bed hospital would be built on the A75 close to the Garroch roundabout.[7] It was procured under a Private Finance Initiative contract in March 2015.[8] The hospital was designed by Ryder Architecture and NBBJ[9] and built by Laing O'Rourke[8] at a cost of £213 million.[10] The new hospital was officially opened by the Princess Royal in July 2018.[11]
Services
The hospital serves the town of Dumfries and the catchment area of South West Scotland with a population of c.150,000.[12] It is made up entirely of single rooms, 344 of them, each with a computer point to allow real-time updating of patient records.[1]
The hospital is a supporter of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers.[13]
References
Further reading
- Irving, Gordon (1975). Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary: The first two hundred years, 1776-1975. Robert Dinwiddie and Co. ISBN 978-0901043085.
External links
