IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0387 PL
Held at: Royal London Hospital
Title: Plaistow Hospital
Date(s): 1953-1978
Level of description: Collection (fonds)
Extent: 8 volumes
Name of creator(s): Plaistow Hospital
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
Plaistow Hospital has its origins in three East London hospitals; the West Ham Board of Guardians Smallpox Hospital, which was established in Western Road, Plaistow in 1871, the Poplar Board of Works Infectious Diseases Hospital, which opened in Samson Street in 1878 and the Smallpox Hospital established in Pragel Street by the West Ham Local Board in 1884. The Smallpox Hospital in Pragel Street premises closed in 1894 when the Poplar Board of Works Infectious Diseases Hospital, Samson Street premises were purchased by West Ham Borough Council. In 1895 the Council purchased the Smallpox Hospital at Western Road. Through the closure of part of Western Road, a large island site was made available for the development of a new infectious diseases hospital, which opened in 1901 with accommodation for 210 patients as Plaistow Fever Hospital.
Plaistow Fever Hospital was considered to be one of the most modern of its kind and pioneered the barrier method of nursing infectious cases. Training of probationer nurses had commenced in 1898. In 1906 the Hospital was recognised by several universities and the Royal College for the training of medical students in infectious diseases. Over the next 37 years over 3000 students received fever training at Plaistow. The Hospital was damaged by bombing during World War II and in 1947 the older Samson Street buildings were made available for Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, as a medical in-patient department. The name of the Hospital was changed to Plaistow Hospital in 1948 in recognition of the fact that it treated acute medical cases as well as infectious cases. From 1983 the Hospital began to specialise in elderly long stay patients.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Records of Plaistow Hospital, comprising admission and discharge registers, 1953-1978.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
The records are arranged chronologically.
Conditions governing access:
Researchers wishing to consult the archives should first contact the Trust Archivist, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, London, E1 1BB, for an appointment.
All records containing details of treatment of identified patients are confidential and access to them may be restricted, subject to access arrangements under the Freedom of Information Act, 2000 and the Data Protection Act, 1998.
Conditions governing reproduction:
A photocopying service is available at the discretion of the Archivist. Photocopies are supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Archivist.
Physical characteristics:
Finding aids:
A list is available at the Royal London Hospital Archives and Museum.
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:
Accruals:
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
Transferred from Stratford Local Studies Library by the Director of Leisure Services, London Borough of Newham in 1997.
ALLIED MATERIALS
Existence and location of originals:
Existence and location of copies:
Related material:
Records of the Hospital, 1901-1985, are held by Stratford Reference Library.
Publication note:
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Note:
Archivist's note: Sources: Wellcome Library and the Public Record Office HOSPREC: On-Line Hospital Records Database. Compiled by Julie Tancell as part of the RSLP AIM25 project.
Date(s) of descriptions: June 2001