Cardiff Royal Infirmary

Cardiff Royal Infirmary (Welsh: Ysbyty Brenhinol Caerdydd) (also known as the CRI or YBC) is a hospital in central Cardiff, Wales. It is managed by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

Cardiff Royal Infirmary
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Edwin Seward's 1883 main building
Cardiff Royal Infirmary is located in Cardiff
Cardiff Royal Infirmary
Shown in Cardiff
Geography
LocationCardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°29′05″N 3°09′41″W / 51.4847°N 3.1613°W / 51.4847; -3.1613
Organisation
Care systemPublic NHS
TypeGeneral
History
Opened1822
Links
ListsHospitals in Wales
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameCardiff Royal Infirmary (including forecourt wall and gatepiers)
Designated31 July 1997
Reference no.18639

History

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The former chapel's stained glass window. The Chapel is now the home of Adamsdown Library

The hospital has its origins in the Cardiff Dispensary, which began on Newport Road in 1822. It became the Glamorganshire and Monmouthshire Infirmary and Dispensary in 1837.[1] The current main hospital building facing Glossop Road, Adamsdown, was designed by Edwin Seward and opened in 1883.[1] It became known as King Edward VII Hospital in 1911.[1] During the First World War, the building was requisitioned by the War Office to create the 3rd Western General Hospital, a facility for the Royal Army Medical Corps to treat military casualties.[2] It returned to its current name, Cardiff Royal Infirmary, in 1923.[3] By the time it joined the National Health Service in 1948 it had expanded to become a 500-bed facility.[1]

The hospital ceased operating as a casualty facility in 1999, with the Accident and Emergency department being moved to University Hospital of Wales in the north of the city. Some services were successfully retained at the site after a public campaign.[4]

In the 2010s further medical facilities returned to the site, including a GP service and a sexual health clinic. Mental health and substance misuse facilities were also planned, as well as an out-of-hours pharmacy. £30 million was to be the initial spend, with a second phase including renovation of the hospital's chapel.[3]

In the 2020s work was completed to turn the infirmary's old chapel into a public library, with the nearby Adamsdown Library moving into the building.[5]

Notable staff

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Eileen Rees, a nurse and nurse educationist, trained at Cardiff Royal Infirmary. She worked for 15 years as Matron before taking on the new role of Chief Nursing Officer at University Hospital of Wales following the implementation of the recommendations in the Salmon Report.[6]

In the media

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In 2005 the CRI buildings became Albion Hospital, in a two-part episode of the BBC's Doctor Who series, entitled Aliens of London/World War Three.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Cardiff Royal Infirmary records". Glamorgan Archives. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  2. ^ "Casualties of War: Hospitals and Welfare facilities" (PDF). The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust. 1 March 2017. p. 88. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b McWatt, Julia (30 May 2014). "Look: Cardiff Royal Infirmary is back – after £30m radical surgery". Wales Online. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Cardiff Royal Infirmary to receive £16m revamp". BBC News. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  5. ^ "A new library and café to be built in a hospital chapel". Wales Online. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  6. ^ WalesOnline (2 June 2008). "The last matron at infirmary". Wales Online. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  7. ^ Campbell, Mark (2010), Doctor Who: The Complete Guide, Oldcastle Books, p. 128, ISBN 978-1-84901-886-9
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