Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

History

The hospital opened in 1882 as the Salford Union Infirmary, a hospital for sick paupers, in association with the union workhouse. An Oglala Lakota Native American named 'Surrounded by the Enemy' had his corpse brought here in December 1887. He performed as a stuntsman in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show tour at the time of his death. During the Manchester Blitz of the Second World War, the original Salford Royal Infirmary on Chapel Street, Salford was struck by German bombs in June 1941 and 14 nurses died. The current hospital was originally named Hope Hospital (during most of the 20th century, and up until 2008), taking the name of the medieval Hope Hall, demolished in 1956. The formation of the NHS Trust in 1990, and budget cuts nationally towards the National Health Service by a previous Conservative government back in 1994, saw the closure of the original Salford Royal Infirmary on Chapel Street, which was then sold on to private developers who converted the building into luxury apartments. The memorial stone tablet for the nurses killed during the Blitz remains above the original Chapel Street entrance. The trust was originally named Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, but changed its name to Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust in 2006.

During 2007, a substantial redevelopment commenced under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI), which included re-branding the hospital as the new "Salford Royal" in 2008, and the construction of the Hope Building, as a tribute to the hospital that had carried and inspired the message of hope for so long. The wing finally opened in September 2011. People who live throughout the Salford area still refer to the site as Hope Hospital.

Redevelopment

Salford Royal was comprehensively redeveloped as part of the Salford Health Investment for Tomorrow (SHIFT) programme, comprising a £130 million PFI contract to construct a number of new hospital units and a separate £30 million modernisation contract, both signed with Consort Healthcare. Among the new units will be a cancer centre in partnership with Christie Hospital NHS Trust.

The first stage of the redevelopment is completed and has been opened, however work is still being carried out to remove the buildings that housed the wards that moved to the new building. The IT block will remain, as it is a listed building. The site that the former building occupied will become the visitors' car park for the hospital, replacing the one that is currently in use now.

Performance

It was named by the Health Service Journal as one of the top hundred NHS trusts to work for in 2015. At that time it had 6,219 full-time equivalent staff and a sickness absence rate of 4.42%. 87% of staff recommend it as a place for treatment and 71% recommended it as a place to work. After an inspection in August 2015 the trust was one of only three in England rated "outstanding" by the Care Quality Commission. It was rated as having the highest index of digital maturity of any organisation in the English NHS in April 2016.

Sir David Dalton is the Chief Executive.

In July 2016 it is to initiate an integrated care organisation which will include 440 adult social care staff transferred from the City of Salford. It will manage social care. Mental health services will be provided by Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust but Salford will manage the contract. It is hoped that this will deliver £36 million a year in savings by 2021, largely by reducing hospital admissions, cutting management costs and removing duplication.

In September 2016, the trust was selected by NHS England as one of twelve Global Digital Exemplars. It uses an Allscripts electronic patient record system which is being adopted by other NHS organisations nearby.