Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham , which was not large enough to deal with the increasing numbers of Naval personnel who had moved into Chatham following the opening of the naval barracks. Building work began in 1900 and the new hospital, constructed of red bricks with stone dressings, was opened by King
Edward VII on 26 July 1905. The architect was John C. T. Murray. Construction had cost just under £800,000; the clock tower, which was not part of the original plan, was funded using left over money from the plastering budget. which stretched from east to west across the centre of the site. The four pavilions to the west were designated as medical wards, the five to the east as surgical wards. There were two operating theatres. Also linked to the corridor was a central kitchen and the main administrative block, which (as well as offices) contained admission and outpatient rooms, a museum and library,
pathology labs and various other facilities. To the south was a large detached chapel (St Luke's Church) and, built in a semi-circle around the southern edge of the site, a series of residences for the medical officers,
nursing sisters and
sick berth attendants. In the north-west corner of the site, separated from the main hospital by a double fence, was a self-contained '
infectious division' with its own pavilion wards, kitchen and receiving/discharge blocks. The hospital as a whole had been designed with plenty of open space, which was available for the use of patients and convalescents. Verandahs were provided for patients unable to access the grounds. Within the main hospital there was a ward set aside for '
mental disease', and another for
tuberculosis; there was also a sizeable dental department. The surgical side was mostly concerned with accidents and associated injuries, but there were also wards specialising in
ophthalmology and
otology; while the
venereal wards were said to 'afford a wide field for the study of that class of disease'. In December 1960 the
Civil Lord of the Admiralty confirmed that RNH Chatham would cease to be used as a naval hospital on 1 April 1961 (the day after the dissolution of Nore Command), whereupon it would be handed over to the
Minister of Health.
Medway Hospital On 1 April 1961 the hospital was duly transferred by the
Admiralty to the
NHS and became part of the Medway Health Authority. The hospital then closed for modernisation (for which the Ministry of Health had earmarked a sum of £1 million) and after some delays it opened again in 1965 under the name "Medway Hospital". Further expansion followed in 1970, when an
orthopaedic block was added, and a new
accident and emergency centre was opened. The new 'A block', containing services for the elderly and mental health care, opened in 1990.
Medway Maritime Hospital As part of a £60 million development in 1999 the hospital doubled in size and services were transferred from neighbouring hospitals St Bartholomew's in
Rochester and All Saints' in
Chatham.
The Piano Man An unidentified man who became known as "Piano Man" was treated at Medway Hospital during April 2005. The man was found wandering the streets in
Sheerness, wearing a soaking wet suit and tie. Despite many attempts to communicate with him, he remained silent. When given a pen and paper he drew a grand piano. When taken to a piano in the hospital chapel, it was reported he played classical music non-stop for four hours, however this was not the case as hospital staff afterwards stated he just played with the piano like someone with no training. After four months he revealed his identity as Andreas Grassl from Bavaria, and he returned home. ==See also==