Introduction
Go straight to this information on
on your smartphone by scanning this QR code (right) with your phone's QR Code Reader
app. If you haven't got a QR code reader app on your smartphone, search online
for a free QR code reader app. You can then access more information about the
Trust via your smartphone.
About the Trust
What our patients say about us
- "I received excellent patient care throughout an anxious time."
- "The care I received from the moment I was admitted was exemplary..."
- "Your staff should be congratulated for their standard of care..."
- "The Emergency Nurse Practitioner who saw me was wonderful..."
- "The staff were so kind and the ward exceptionally clean..."
Read more praise from patients for West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust...»
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust was formed on 1 April 2000 following the merger of St Albans and Hemel Hempstead NHS Trust and Mount Vernon and Watford NHS Trust.
» View an organisational chart
The Trust is one of the largest organisations in west Hertfordshire, employing around 4000 members of staff, serving a catchment population of around 500,000 and receiving over 1million visitors each year.
The Trust manages three hospitals:
We provide general healthcare and some specialist services and have close links with specialist hospitals, such as Harefield.
Watford General Hospital
Since March 2009 when emergency services centralised at Watford General Hospital, Watford has been the main acute hospital in west Hertfordshire. The specialist emergency service at Watford now includes a newly expanded A&E Department, a new 120-bed Acute Admissions Unit, a state-of-the-art 19-bed Intensive Care Unit, and a dedicated Children’s Emergency Department. Watford also offers a comprehensive range of specialist and general services, including one of the safest maternity services in the country.
St Albans City Hospital
St Albans City Hospital is a local general hospital offering a range of services, including a Minor Injuries Unit. In September 2007 a new Elective Care Centre opened at St Albans City Hospital and since that time St Albans has been the site for the majority of planned surgery in west Hertfordshire. This has had a dramatic effect on the number cases of hospital-acquired infections in the area as patients are screened before their admission and St Albans City Hospital can now boast of being ‘infection-free’.
St Albans City Hospital also provides a wide range of diagnostic, outpatients and ophthalmology facilities. The Breast Care Unit was formed in 2005 from the centralisation of breast services in west Hertfordshire. The state-of-the-art Breast Care Unit treats around 3,000 new patients a year and includes facilities to allow around 90% of breast operations to be performed there. The Renal Dialysis Unit based at St Albans City Hospital is managed by the Lister Hospital in Stevenage.
Hemel Hempstead Hospital
Hemel Hempstead Hospital is currently undergoing a major redevelopment programme to considerably improve the general environment for patients. Full A&E services transferred from Hemel Hempstead to Watford General Hospital in March 2009, which coincided with the opening of a major expansion programme at Watford General. A new 24/7 Urgent Care Centre opened in October 2008, which treats patients with minor illness and injuries. Hemel Hempstead Hospital also provides a wide range of outpatient services, intermediate care beds, tests and investigations.
As a Trust, we understand patients' needs and expectations. We continue to work closely with West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust, local GPs, practice-based commissioning groups, community-based healthcare staff, and the local social services. The establishment of a partnership with Herts Urgent Care, in order to deliver the new Urgent Care Centre service at Hemel Hempstead Hospital, has been a significant and positive development during the course of the year.
Got a Smartphone?
If you print out this web page you'll notice a QR Code at the top of the page. If own a smartphone and it has internet access, you can download Trust information to your phone using your phone's QR Code reader. If your phone doesn't have one, just go online and search for 'QR Code reader'
Why not print out this web page and take it with you when you visit any of our hospital sites? You can then scan the QR Code at the top of the page using your smart phone to access Trust Information online, such as visitor information, key telephone numbers, travel information and visiting times.
