St John's Hospital, Livingston

Infobox Hospital
Name = St John's Hospital
Org/Group = NHS Lothian


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Region = Livingston, West Lothian
State = Scotland
Country = UK
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HealthCare = NHS
Type = General Hospital
Speciality =
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Emergency = Yes
Affiliation = University of Edinburgh Medical School
Beds = 550 cite web |url=http://www.rierad.scot.nhs.uk/stjohns.pdf |title=St John's Hospital Livingston |accessdate=2008-04-01]
Founded = 1989
Closed =
Website = http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/hospitals/sjh.asp
Wiki-Links = |

St John's Hospital is the main general hospital in Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland. Located in the Howden area of the town, it serves Livingston, west Edinburgh, and the wider West Lothian region. St John's is one of three hospitals run by NHS Lothian which have accident and emergency services. St John's has special status as a teaching hospital for the University of Edinburgh Medical School.cite web |url=http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/hospitals/sjh.asp |title=St John's Hospital at Howden |accessdate=2008-04-01]

History

Bangour General Hospital, near Dechmont to the north of Livingston, was the main hospital in the West Lothian area from 1939. Bangour had been built as an annexe of the village hospital, which had specialised in psychiatry. The Livingston Development Committee (LDC), which oversaw the development of the new town of Livingston from 1962, had planned to move the general hospital to Livingston from around 1974. The new hospital was opened in 1989, and Bangour General Hospital was closed in the early 1990s. [cite web |url=http://www.lhsa.lib.ed.ac.uk/catalog/records/lhsab001/lhb40x.html |title=Bangour General Hospital |accessdate=2008-04-01]

Facilities

Hospital Services

The current facilities at St John's include a recently renovated accident and emergency ward, and a large maternity unit, where around 2,500 babies are born annually. The radiology department uses a trust-wide PACS system, complete with 2 digital screening rooms, spiral CT, 4 ultrasound machines and a gamma camera. St John's contains many specialist services for south east Scotland, including oral and maxillofacial, burns and plastic surgery units.cite web |url=http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/news/mediaroom/news_release/related_documents/stjohns_secure_future.pdf |title=Secure Future for St John's |date=24 November 2004 |author=NHS Lothian |accessdate=2008-04-01] The hospital is being promoted as the main regional centre for elective surgery, and as a centre for minimally invasive surgery. This centre, supported by University of Edinburgh professors, will provide Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgery, orthopaedic surgery, and urology. The ENT Unit has been relocated to St John's, with the intention of merging it with the existing head and neck unit, to form another regional centre. The improvements will see 4,500 patients per year being trated at St Johns.

Hospital Radio

Radio Grapevine is the hospital radio station, which has been broadcast to the main buildings of the hospital since 1991. They have also obtained status as a Scottish registered charity. [cite web |url=http://www.radiograpevine.com/index.htm |title=Radio Grapevine |accessdate=2008-04-01]

Howden Health Centre

Howden Health Centre, located within the hospital grounds, provides services such as health and welfare clinics to registered patients.

Transportation

St John's Hospital is very well linked by public transport in the area, with most buses within Livingston calling at St John's at some point in their route. It has links with Uphall, Broxburn, all parts of Livingston, Pumpherston, Mid Calder, East Calder, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Airport, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Ocean Terminal Linlithgow, Bathgate and more.

It is just a short walk from Livingston North train station, which provides links to Bathgate and Edinburgh.

It has a large car park which will have it's parking charges abolished at the end of 2008.

References