Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children | |
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Hospital entrance
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Geography | |
Location | Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Coordinates | 33°48′06″S 150°59′31″E / 33.8017°S 150.992°ECoordinates: 33°48′06″S 150°59′31″E / 33.8017°S 150.992°E |
Organisation | |
Care system | Public Medicare (AU) |
Hospital type | Teaching |
Affiliated university | University of Sydney |
Services | |
Emergency department | Yes |
Beds | 340 |
Speciality | Children's hospital |
History | |
Founded | 1880 |
Links | |
Website | www |
Lists | Hospitals in Australia |
The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children (also known as The Children's Hospital at Westmead) is a children's hospital in Sydney, New South Wales. The Hospital was founded in 1880 as "The Sydney Hospital for Sick Children". Its name was changed to the "Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children" on 4 January 1904 when King Edward VII granted use of the appellation ‘Royal’ and his consort, Queen Alexandra, consented to the use of her name.
It is one of three children's hospitals in New South Wales. It is currently located on Hawkesbury Road in Westmead and is affiliated with the University of Sydney.
On 1 July 2010 it became part of the newly formed 'Sydney Children's Hospital Network (Randwick and Westmead) incorporating the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children'.
The hospital was opened in 1880 as the Sydney Hospital for Sick Children by a group of concerned citizens, led by Lady Allen the wife of Sir George Wigram Allen, who were worried about the health of the younger members of society in New South Wales. It soon out-grew the small building in which it was housed at Glebe Point. In 1906 it moved to a much grander building, designed by Harry Kent in Camperdown, where it stayed for 89 years, where it was known as the Camperdown Children's Hospital.
In 1995, the hospital was relocated to its current location in Westmead to better serve the growing populations of western Sydney.
This relocation involved amalgamation with most of the paediatric services of nearby Westmead Hospital (apart from neonates) to form a new hospital with a new name; initially "The New Children's Hospital" and more recently "The Children's Hospital at Westmead". The official name of the hospital; the "Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children" is retained.
Some notable individuals connected to the history of the Children's Hospital are: