Wolverhampton Dispensary, later South Staffordshire General Hospital and Wolverhampton...

• <corpname>Wolverhampton Dispensary</corpname>
• <corpname>South Staffordshire General Hospital and Wolverhampton Dispensary</corpname>
• <corpname>Royal Hospital, Wolverhampton</corpname>

The Royal Hospital originated with the foundation of the Wolverhampton Dispensary in 1821 situated in Queen Street. The Dispensary was funded by subscription with the initial amount raised being oe483 4s 9d. Its purpose was to afford "medical and surgical relief, with the benefit of vaccination to those poor persons who are unable to purchase medicine and advice for themselves". A Board of Management looked after the administration of the Dispensary. In 1842 the Duke of Cleveland accepted the position of President of the Dispensary.

By 1844 it was recognised that the Dispensary was insufficient for the needs of the town and on 1st January 1849 it transferred to the new South Staffordshire General Hospital and Dispensary, situated in Cleveland Road. The building and land (purchased from the Duke of Clevand) had cost oe18,898 and its first president was the Duke of Cleveland until 1867. Eighty beds were provided paid for by a separate fund at a rate of oe7 7s per bed. Subscribers had the right to elect the senior medical staff which at the time of opening consisted of a physician, consulting surgeon, three surgeons, house surgeon, matron, and a secretary. A ticket of recommendation was required prior to treatment, which was either obtained by subscription or the subscriber could pass it on to a deserving person. This sytem remained in force until 1948 causing controversy between doctors, subscribers, and management. In 1861 the rule which excluded treatment in the hospital of children under six years was rescinded. In 1862 a sub-committee was formed and a children's ward was established with special Children's Tickets of Recommendation. In 1869 the age of children admitted to this ward was increased to ten years.

By 1869 overcrowding was a problem and after a disastrous colliery accident the need for accident wards became imperative. A collection of oe2361 15s 11d was donated to the hospital that guaranteed at least twenty beds to be available for colliery accidents. Patient accomodation was extended in 1872 with a new wing for in-patients and a new out-patient block. A fever ward (in a separate building) was established in 1873 in response to the Wolverhampton Corporation Sanitary Committee's suggestion following a smallpox outbreak in 1871.

In 1873 the hospital's name changed to the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire General Hospital and it gained approval by the Royal College of Surgeons for use as a teaching hospital. By the 1860s probationary nurses from the Lichfield Nursing association were being trained at the hospital. All nurses were resident. In 1908 in response to hospital expansion a new nurses home was opened.

Towards the end of the 19th century financial support came in the shape of Saturday and Sunday funds with contributions by workers and their employers, and church Sunday School collections respectively. After the 1911 National Insurance Act compulsory contributions were introduced but the old scheme still continued.

During World War One many staff reported for military duty leaving the hospital seriously depleted. Thirty beds were offered to the Red Cross for wounded soldiers. The hospital was forced to accept the employment of female doctors. After the war the hospital received its Charter of Incorporation on 24th May 1923. This established the hospital as a legally constitued body but its name did not change officially until 1st January 1929 following a royal command of 1928. It seems that the board of management had to petition for the change so that the hospital became The Royal Hospital, Wolverhampton. This title also encompassed the District Hospital for Women and the District Nursing Association and Maternity Home who both amalgamated with the Royal in 1928. The hospital expanded and purchased The Beeches, Penn Road and Old House adjoining it to house children and convalescent women.

During World War Two air raid precautions were implemented. Patients were evacuated to their homes or by ambulance to Bridgnorth. 138 beds were set aside for air raid casualties. In 1941 the Children's Wards were evacuated to Penn and Patshull House was also used as an annexe, mainly for convalescent soldiers. Amalgamation with the Queen Victoria Nursing Institution (QVNI) took place in 1940.

As a result of the National Health Service Act (1946) on 5th July 1948 the Royal and all its branches transferred to the Ministry of Health. The Board of Management was dissolved and the hospital ceased to be funded by voluntary contribution. In addition to the other hospitals the Royal became associated with New Cross hospital, Midland Counties Eye Infirmary, and other smaller hospitals in the town and Shropshire.

By 1970 it was difficult for the Royal to expand, its building was old and access was to be constricted by the ring road, so many clinical specialities were transferred to New Cross. This took twenty five years during which time The Beeches, Penn, QVNI, and the Women's hospitals closed down. The Royal Hospital finally closed down in June 1997.