Hospital marks 55th anniversary

Hospital marks 55th anniversary by reflecting on its evolution over the decades

We marked the 55th anniversary of The Princess Alexandra Hospital on Monday, 27 April, with the hospital having served many generations of the community of west Essex and east Hertfordshire.

The official opening ceremony was held on 27 April 1965, attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy. HRH Princess Alexandra is The Queen’s cousin and a working member of the Royal Family. An account of the official opening of the hospital, held in our library archives, describes the event in vivid detail.

The Princess (pictured right) arrived by helicopter at Harlow Heliport on Tuesday, 27 April 1965, in particularly dark and wet weather. From here she was taken by car to the soon to be opened hospital which was to be named after her (a well-kept secret at the time). During this car journey, she was met by some 1,500 people, mostly children, along Second and Third Avenue, determined to endure the weather for a short glimpse of the Princess.

By the time she arrived at the hospital in the early afternoon, the sun started to break through the clouds and the marquee event was flush with 600 guests ready to meet the Princess and formally open the hospital. After giving an address to the guests, she was brought to the front door of the hospital and given the key by Mr S.E.T. Cusdin, architect for the hospital. It continues:

A cheer was heard throughout the crowd and after a short interlude; people began to enter the building. After unveiling a ceremonial plaque for Princess Alexandra Hospital, she went on a tour of the facilities with an entourage of doctors and nurses to welcome her.

It was reported in the papers as follows: scores of children and mothers pushing prams had managed to gatecrash the ticketsby-invitation only event. They crowded round the walk for a glimpse of the Princess. Following this momentous day in 1965, the hospital saw the implementation of many procedures and treatments that are now a mainstay of the work

Photo courtesy of George Taylor

of a modern acute hospital. This includes computerised tomography (CT) scanners, which were first used in the UK in 1972. They continued to be used at the hospital from the 1970s, and in September 1998, HRH Princess Alexandra revisited the hospital to officially open the new CT scanner suite in the X-ray department.

The radiology department at PAHT performed 32,236 CT investigations in 2019 and it has now been announced that we are to receive £447,000 from the Government for a new state-ofthe-art CT scanner, to be installed this year. This will support early diagnosis of cancer for our patients.

The hospital was established as The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in April 1995, providing services at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, the Herts and Essex Hospital

in Bishop’s Stortford, and St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping. In the years since the hospital first opened, it has undergone modernisation and development, including recent additions such as the Charnley Ward and renovation of Ray Ward. However, much of the site remains recognisable to how it looked in previous years.

In October 2019, the Government announced that PAHT is to receive funding to rebuild a new hospital in Harlow for our patients, community and people. The details around the funding and the timeframe are currently being finalised and we are completing our business case for the new hospital. of support for our hospital, with extremely generous fundraising, gifts and kind words for our teams during this time. We are reflecting on the vital role of PAHT in our community and giving our thanks to our colleagues for their hard work and dedication.

Lance McCarthy, chief executive, said:

The hospital is marking its 55th anniversary as we manage the demands of coronavirus (COVID-19), and as ever, our amazing people are here to provide high quality care and treatment for the people of west Essex and east Hertfordshire.

While the appearance of the hospital may have changed, the professionalism and compassion of our PAHT people over the years is a constant.

While coronavirus (COVID-19) remains at the forefront of the national consciousness, we are also looking to the future. We continue to progress our plans and I’m delighted to be working towards a new hospital for Harlow to serve our community, the next chapter in the story of The Princess Alexandra Hospital.

27 April 2020

On the 55 th Anniversary of the Opening of the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow I send to you all my very best wishes.

To each of you I send my heartfelt thanks for the brave work you are carrying out in these difficult times.

HRH Princess Alexandra