Congleton War Memorial Hospital 100th Anniversary – Celebrating past, present and future

It is with great pride that this year we will be celebrating the 100^th anniversary of Congleton War Memorial Hospital, and the contributions from the people of Congleton who have made it what it is today.

The hospital was built in 1924 and paid for by the local community as a memorial to the 243 local people killed in the First World War. 

Thanks to the generosity from the communities of Congleton, the hospital was funded by every worker in Congleton contributing 1d. per week (30p in today’s money), alongside monies from an annual hospital carnival, private subscriptions, bequests and other fundraising, until the National Health Service was formed in 1948.

The hospital has remained an essential part of the town and its centenary year provides us with a fantastic opportunity to celebrate its past, present and future.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our staff at the War Memorial for their incredible hard work and dedication over the years. Staff on the Aston Ward recently received gold accreditation which is something to be extremely proud of.

The ward provides short-term intervention to preserve the independence of people who might otherwise face unnecessarily prolonged hospital stays and achieving this level of accreditation is a fantastic achievement and means that they are performing extremely well, providing a high level of care to patients and exceeding expectations.

The staff on the ward have worked very hard and every member of the team have helped to achieve this status which will no doubt have a positive impact on the patients and their loved ones.

As we look forward, we were delighted to receive significant funding last year to expand the existing site with a new Community Diagnostics Centre (CDC), which will provide a ‘one stop shop’ offering NHS diagnostic tests, scans and checks closer to home.

This exciting development will future proof our services and allow us to provide localised diagnostics care where appropriate, reducing attendances and potentially admissions to an acute hospital setting. It will be a fantastic addition for our local communities to support patient treatment and care.

I would encourage the people of Congleton and East Cheshire to join us in celebrating 100 years of the hospital later this year. Alongside Congleton Town Council, there are plans for a 1920s themed ‘Picnic in the Park’ event on Monday 27^th May. It would be great to see you there.

Just like it was 100 years ago, Congleton War Memorial Hospital remains an important landmark in East Cheshire, but we know we’re much more than just our buildings – thanks to our staff and the people who have made our organisation what it is today.

Ged Murphy
Chief Executive, East Cheshire NHS Trust