Sadly this place has been completely ruined inside, it looks like a bomb has gone off in there, we also found what we hope to be 2 dead foxes but both were in the toilets which is strange. Anyway here some history on the place.
In 1965 building work began on a new block on an adjacent site to the Hospital. In 1966 a new operating theatre was installed in the main building to replace the old one.
The new wing opened in 1971. It had cost £734,000 and contained a a general medical unit and a Maternity Department with 50 beds and 6 cots in the Special Baby Care Unit.
In 1974, following a major reorganisation of the NHS, the Hospital came under the control of the Dartford and Gravesham District Health Authority of the Kent Area Health Authority, part of the South East Thames Regional Health Authority. It had 220 beds.
By 1986 the Hospital had 140 beds, but its future had become uncertain. In 1987 some 300 demonstrators gathered outside to protest against closure during a visit by Edwina Currie, then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health. In 1988 a petition with 40,000 signatures was collected in support of the Hospital remaining open.
In 1989 the Hospital was refurbished at a cost of £1m. The wards and operating theatres were improved and new X-ray equipment installed. Maternity services for Dartford and Gravesend were centralised at the Hospital, and a Midwifery Education Department established.
In 1991 the catering service introduced more varied meals, taking into account the diet of ethnic minorities now part of the local population. Thus, curries and vegetarian dishes appeared on the menu, which was also translated into Urdu and Punjabi.
On 1st April 1994, following the introduction of the 'marketplace' system into the NHS, the Hospital came under the control of the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. It had 192 beds.
In 1997 a Minor Injuries Unit was officially opened by Chris Pond, M.P. for Gravesham.
However, in 1999, concern grew for the future of the Hospital as building work proceeded on the new Darent Valley Hospital. A campaign began to save is as a community hospital and, in 2000, the Trust agreed to build a new facility on the Hospital site to relieve pressure on Darent Valley Hospital.
The Hospital closed in early 2004, with some services moving to the former maternity block, until that too closed in 2006.
In 1965 building work began on a new block on an adjacent site to the Hospital. In 1966 a new operating theatre was installed in the main building to replace the old one.
The new wing opened in 1971. It had cost £734,000 and contained a a general medical unit and a Maternity Department with 50 beds and 6 cots in the Special Baby Care Unit.
In 1974, following a major reorganisation of the NHS, the Hospital came under the control of the Dartford and Gravesham District Health Authority of the Kent Area Health Authority, part of the South East Thames Regional Health Authority. It had 220 beds.
By 1986 the Hospital had 140 beds, but its future had become uncertain. In 1987 some 300 demonstrators gathered outside to protest against closure during a visit by Edwina Currie, then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health. In 1988 a petition with 40,000 signatures was collected in support of the Hospital remaining open.
In 1989 the Hospital was refurbished at a cost of £1m. The wards and operating theatres were improved and new X-ray equipment installed. Maternity services for Dartford and Gravesend were centralised at the Hospital, and a Midwifery Education Department established.
In 1991 the catering service introduced more varied meals, taking into account the diet of ethnic minorities now part of the local population. Thus, curries and vegetarian dishes appeared on the menu, which was also translated into Urdu and Punjabi.
On 1st April 1994, following the introduction of the 'marketplace' system into the NHS, the Hospital came under the control of the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. It had 192 beds.
In 1997 a Minor Injuries Unit was officially opened by Chris Pond, M.P. for Gravesham.
However, in 1999, concern grew for the future of the Hospital as building work proceeded on the new Darent Valley Hospital. A campaign began to save is as a community hospital and, in 2000, the Trust agreed to build a new facility on the Hospital site to relieve pressure on Darent Valley Hospital.
The Hospital closed in early 2004, with some services moving to the former maternity block, until that too closed in 2006.
