Arrowe Park Hospital celebrates its 40th anniversary on 4th May

Janelle Holmes, Chief Executive

It is an honour and a privilege to lead the team at Wirral University Teaching Hospital Trust, which operates Arrowe Park Hospital. We want especially to thank our amazing staff, who are dedicated to serving the people of the Wirral.  As we celebrate our 40th anniversary on the 4th May 2022, we’re also investing in our hospitals at Clatterbridge, Arrowe Park and the Wirral Women and Children’s Hospital, so that we can continue to do the best for our patients in the years ahead.

Arrowe Park has a special place in the Wirral health and care system and for local people, as the only acute hospital provider- that’s a hospital which has a full-time Emergency Department- on the Wirral. We also provide the full range of planned and unplanned care services. We work in partnership with other health and social care providers across the Wirral.

During the 40 years of Arrowe Park, we’ve trained thousands of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, clinical support workers, pharmacists and midwives- and taken part in ground-breaking research for new drugs and techniques.  We’ve cared for parents and children across the years, with thousands of children being born at Arrowe Park Hospital.  We are a research and teaching hospital and the largest employer on the Wirral, with over 6500 staff.

We aim to provide the best care possible to our community and we hope you enjoy this special supplement in The Wirral Globe looking back at our 40 years and looking forward to continuing to serve local people in the future.

Serving the community for 40 years

Sir David Henshaw, Chair

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Arrowe Park Hospital which was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 4th May, 1982.

To mark this special year and also the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, there will be a hive of activity at the site on 4th May onwards such as a walk down memory lane with a history display, art installations and fun charity events.

Planning work to build a fantastic new hospital in Wirral began in the 1960s. The services of Birkenhead General Hospital in Birkenhead, Highfield Maternity Hospital in Wallasey and Leasowe Hospital in Leasowe were consolidated into one fantastic hospital.

Building work started in the late 1970s and in 1981 the first patient was transferred from Birkenhead General Hospital. A Royal ceremony was held to mark the official opening in 1982.

Chris Vellenoweth was Wirral Area Health Authority Chief Executive at the time and he said: “Prior to Arrowe Park, Wirral hospital services were very much separate entities, there was very little interaction between them.  When staff from the different hospitals moved into the new one, they had to learn to work in different ways. People did cooperate very much to make the hospital a success and that’s continued to this day I think.”

Chris Vellenoweth former Wirral Area Health Authority Chief Executive

Arrowe Park Hospital continues to provide vital life-saving services to the community with patients at its heart and contains Wirral’s only Emergency Department. It is also part Wirral University Teaching Hospital, one of the largest and busiest hospital trusts in the North West which prides itself on teaching and developing clinicians of the future.

A hub in the local community, Arrowe Park as a family hospital has touched the lives of most local people who will have either been treated as a patient, worked in the hospital or had loved ones or friends who have had roles there.

It became a place of international interest at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when Britons repatriated from Wuhan in China and later the Diamond Princess Cruise Liner, were set up at a quarantine site within staff accommodation at the hospital grounds.

As the COVID-19 situation developed, the organisation continued to adapt to ensure the hospital has been able to provide life-saving treatment for patients. During the height of the pandemic, the Wirral community rallied to offer strong support for its NHS hospital staff. At such a challenging time for NHS staff, that support provided huge relief and strength to staff. It was exemplified with a huge fundraising effort with a charity appeal launched in conjunction with the organisation’s WUTH Charity and the Wirral Globe which raised over £150,000 and this is funding a new staff restaurant and wellbeing area at Arrowe Park.

Dr Nikki Stevenson, Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, said: “We are delighted to have reached this milestone and Arrowe Park Hospital is so important to many people. The services we provide have grown over the years and we have adapted to meet the changing needs of our community, ensuring we continue to treat each patient as an individual. I’m extremely proud of the hospital and would like to thank our amazing staff for their hard work. It’s also a privilege to serve such a wonderful community.”

This year in a continued commitment to giving patients the best possible experience hospital trust has also launched its new Patient Experience Strategy. Staff and patients played a huge part in the development of the strategy. It sets out the quality service that patients can expect.

Tracy Fennell, Chief Nurse at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, added: “I am very excited about this important project and remain extremely grateful to our staff, patients’ families and partners who are committed to work in partnership with us to deliver our promises to all patients and families who use our services.”