Papworth Hospital to move to Addenbrooke's

PAPWORTH Hospital will move to the Addenbrooke s Hospital site in Cambridge – it was confirmed yesterday. On Thursday, July 31, the NHS East of England Board approved the plans for the £204million development of the new Papworth Hospital, on the Cambridge

PAPWORTH Hospital will move to the Addenbrooke's Hospital site in Cambridge - it was confirmed yesterday.

On Thursday, July 31, the NHS East of England Board approved the plans for the £204million development of the new Papworth Hospital, on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus near Addenbrooke's. The plans will now go forward to be approved by the Department of Health. The new hospital is expected to open in 2013.

The redevelopment of the world famous hospital, which pioneered heart transplants and carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979, involves developing a new cardiothoracic hospital linked to Addenbrooke's, the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine and leading research organisations.

In the 1970s it was rare to survive a heart transplant more than a few weeks. Now patients are celebrating 25 years since their op.

It is hoped that benefits to the next generation of patients of the move will include a "whole system" approach to both emergency and planned operations, clinical teams being able to work together and more integrated services, or in plain language, a "one-stop-shops" for patients.

Patients will have single rooms with en suite facilities.

Papworth Hospital began as a settlement for tuberculosis patients in 1918. It was founded by Dr, later Sir, Pendril Varrier-Jones. He also opened shops and workplaces for his patients saying: "As a physician, I came to heal and in helping, I became more a tradesman, a manufacturer, a sociologist and an administrator."

The Papworth Industries developed to support the patients continued until 1957. They were highly successful and included the coachworks which made the Green Goddess fire engines.

The settlement went in two directions. The hospital was inherited by the National Health Service in 1948 and began to specialise in heart and lung conditions and the working community developed as The Papworth Trust, which now runs state-of-the-art homes and projects for people with disabilities. One of these, Saxongate, opened with the support of The Hunts Post in Huntingdon town centre, was a national first.

In the last financial year, the East of England Strategic Health Authority has approved approximately £589m of capital investment across the region. Money is also being spent in Greater Peterborough, Chelmsford and Watford.

Papworth Firsts and Dates

1960: First operation using a heart and lung machine.

1962: First heart valve inserted into a patient.

1967: First transvenous permanent cardiac pacemaker inserted.

1979: First successful heart transplant in the UK.

1984: First heart and lung transplant.

1992: The Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre opens.

1993: First operation using a heart laser.

1994 The adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre opens.

1996: The 1,000th transplant patient.

2005: Longest surviving heart transplant patient celebrates 25 years.

2005: Longings surviving heart and lung transplant patient celebrates 20 years.

2006: UK's first beating heart transplant.