Royal Bucks Hospital
| The Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire Hospitals | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Aylesbury,, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Private |
| Hospital type | Specialist |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | No Accident & Emergency |
| Beds | 10 |
| Speciality | Spinal cord injury, Stroke, Acquired Brain Injury |
| History | |
| Founded | 1832 |
| Links | |
| Website | http://www.royalbucks.co.uk |
| Lists | Hospitals in England |
The Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital (colloquially called the Royal Bucks) is a hospital founded in 1832 in response to the cholera epidemic that swept across England at that time. It is situated in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The construction was based on the design of a stately home to help dissociate the assumption at the time that hospitals were a place of death.
When it first opened treatment was received by payment only. Admissions were only taken at 11 o'clock every morning (except Sundays) and if the patient had not paid a one guinea a year subscription to the hospital (a kind of insurance to ensure treatment when it was needed) he/she was charged sixpence on admission and was then required to pay a further guinea for further treatment. Patients who were too poor to pay these fees went to the workhouse located on Bierton Hill (now the Tindal Centre).
The current building dating from 1862 replaced an earlier building on the site. The design was influenced by Florence Nightingale who had recently returned from the Crimea and was the first pavilion style civilian hospital to be completed in the UK. She said "It will be the most beautiful hospital in England." Letters and sketches by her about the design are in the Bucks County Council Reference Library.
Florence Nightingale also did a lot of fundraising for the hospital, keeping the admission fees low, ensuring the hospital was able to treat more people.
Originally called the Buckinghamshire Infirmary, it is thought that it became "Royal" after the future Edward VII received treatment there after breaking a limb during a visit to the Rothschilds at Waddesdon Manor.
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