Fight for health in South Yorkshire’s infirmaries

Sheffield General Infirmary opened in 1792; Leeds Infirmary in 1771; Hull Infirmary 1782. With a population of over 5,000 around this time, Doncaster established a dispensary for the relief of the sick and the poor.

It was designed by William Lindley, a pupil of John Carr, and opened in French Gate, on the Great North Road, during late 1794. Erected by Thomas Anelay, the two storey building and included a waiting hall, surgeon’s room and a surgery. Amongst the upstairs rooms were the apothecary’s bedroom and a large committee room.

The dispensary was a charitable institution and the treatment depended on subscriptions paid. One of the rules for the Doncaster Dispensary stated: “Every person subscribing one guinea annually, shall be a governor, and entitled to have one patient on the books at a time and every person subscribing two guineas annually, shall be entitled to have two patients; and so in proportion for any greater subscription.” Of course, many of the remedies were quite useless, particularly the use of leeches.

Among the first medical staff at the Doncaster Dispensary were a physician, two surgeons, an apothecary and a matron. After a year of operation, the Charity had admitted 469 patients though during each year that followed there were massive efforts to raise sufficient funds for more admissions.

By the 1850s, the increasing population – over 12,000 – required a much more efficient institution than the Dispensary. However, the cash collected fell far short of the sum required.

The Great Northern Railway and South Yorkshire Railway not only added to the population, but increased the number of accidents requiring treatment. The Great Northern railway works – eventually employing over 1,000 men – made a strong case for a hospital as the workforce operated dangerous machinery. Under these circumstances a local homeopath, George Dunn, establish at his own cost the town’s first purpose-built hospital but private hospital (St James’s), with eight beds, in 1853.

Unfortunately, Dunn’s colleagues then as now frowned upon homeopathy and this led to a great desire to build a conventional public hospital. A bequest of £500 left in 1862 by a local doctor, Henry Bainbridge, gave stimulus to the cause. The Doncaster General Infirmary committee was formed under the vicar of Doncaster, Rev. Dr C.J. Vaughan and a firm of local architects, Benjamin Shaw Brundell and William Vernon Arnold employed to produce plans for a building at the Whitaker Street/Wood Street corner. Thomas and Charles Anelay were employed as builders.

Brundell sent plans of the building for approval and comments to Dr Bowman, surgeon, King’s College Hospital London and Florence Nightingale. Comments from both individuals, where appropriate, were incorporated into the final designs.

Doncaster’s first public infirmary was opened to the public on Wednesday July 1, 1868. Its five wards could contain 23 beds; accommodation was provided for two nurses, and a dispensary.

For many years the Doncaster General Infirmary and Dispensary relied entirely on regular subscriptions from Doncaster Corporation, wealthy inhabitants and on fundraising. In 1874 matters were so bad that the number of in-patients had to be limited to ten at a time.

Desperately attempting to boost funds led to street collections, which in effect was no more than begging. One Sunday of the year was designated Infirmary Sunday and collections were made at churches and other institutions. As time went on, this developed into a carnival staged under various titles.

The Doncaster Fancy Dress Cycle Parade and Carnival on Bank Holiday August 1909 was described by the local press as being favoured by fine weather and a huge success which added substantially to funds.

“The sum of £10 was also collected in the streets, this including 13s 6d which was collected by two patients at the Infirmary, who cleverly suspended a collecting bag from one of the hospital windows,” said one newspaper.

During the late 19th century and in the first quarter of the new century, Doncaster saw a dozen new collieries sunk in the area. A new much larger infirmary became a matter of urgency. Mineworkers protested for better facilities and a site was eventually selected along Thorne Road, east of the Doncaster town centre.

On Tuesday, October 12, 1926 the Prince of Wales, visiting Doncaster for the first time, laid the foundation stone for the new infirmary which would care for a population of around 200,000. The Prince said: ‘Opportunities for proper medical treatment are as vital to the modern industrial community as the ordinary necessities of life such as light or water’.

Built by the local firm of Harold Arnold & Son Ltd, the new Doncaster Royal Infirmary was opened by the Earl of Lonsdale on August 21st, 1930 in the presence of about 2,000 spectators. Of the total cost of around £160,000, £103,728 had been received and during the opening afternoon, Lord Lonsdale received just under £4,500 in donations from people present.

In the post war years the country’s haphazard health funding was re-organised, falling under the National Health Service. Doncaster Royal Infirmary has remained on the same site since 1930, while expanding.