150th Anniversary of the Cottage Hospital

[backman]

 This year sees the anniversary of what was a revolutionary concept of health care provision,the cottage hospital.There is some disagreement as to which was the first,with some proposing The North Ormsby hospital at Middlsborough,although most agree that the Surrey GP Albert Napper was the true originator of the system when he set up a four bedded hospital in a cottage in the village of Cranleigh/Cranley,some 8 miles fron Guildford.Within six years new hospitals were opening at a rate of one every four weeks and by 1870 some 80 hospitals were in operation.Eventually over 600 cottage hospitals had been opened across the British Isles as well as the system being copied across the globe.
Whilst many continued to operate on a small scale ,others grew into larger hospitals.All were especially valued by their local communities as was often witnessed in recent years as economic pressures have led to the closure of many of these, when protests and campaigns to keep them open have been common.
If I ever get organised I hope to write a short piece on the varied history of the cottage hospital but any thoughts or personal experiences would be welcomed.

[wilfb]

Hi.

That is very interesting reading.  So do you think that the cottage hospital system was the true forerunner of the first NHS?

A short piece on the topic would be very welcome - I feel sure that everyone would be interested - but, and I say this with all sincerity, a long piece would be a much better idea!

[backman]

You could probably argue that the Modern NHS was invented out a mixture of health care systems in operation upto 1948.These including the Voluntary Hospitals,Workhouse Infirmaries & Municipal Hospitals,Cottage Hospitals and Metropolitan Asylums Board institutions.Certainly Aneurin Bevan had experience of the Tredegar Park Cottage Hospital having served on the hospital management committee.That hospital was supported by the Tredegar Iron & Coal Company,public donations and by each miner paying 1/2d a week from their wages,the idea of of a taxation funded healthcare system.Whilst much of our historic view of hospitals pre NHS is based upon the big name voluntary hospitals,the NHS probably owes a lot more the Local Authority or MAB Institutions.From 1867 until 1930 the M.A.B. provided the basic infrastructure for healthcare provision to the sick poor of London,particularly in regards to infectious diseases.See;http://www.workhouses.org.uk/MAB/