A- INTRODUCTION
11
POST WAR DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNIT INTO A NATIONAL CENTRE
Already at the end of the War the number of beds in the Unit was gradually increased
to 100 as several of the original units in this country were closed and their patients
transferred to Stoke Mandeville. Moreover, after the War the number of civilian para–
plegic men, women and children steadily increased. By 1951, when Stoke Mandeville
Hospital was taken over by the National Health Service, the Unit had a complement of
160 beds which in due course was increased to 195 beds. The Unit was then designated
as a National Spinal Injuries Centre admitting patients from all parts of the United
Kingdom and many other countries, the latter according to Ministry of Health's regula–
tions as private patients.
With the growth of the Centre, the facilities of auxiliary services were also gradually
increased. This applied to physiotherapy, occupational therapy, vocational training, as
well as school education for the children. The patients are accommodated in 6 male and 2
female wards and a special children's annexe has been added, thanks to a grant of £35,000
from the Sir William Coxon Trust. The Children's Annexe built in 1965 has been a
great improvement for the accommodation and management of paraplegic children,
FIG. 4. Aerial view of Stoke Mandeville General Hospital with the National Spinal
Injuries Centre and Sports Stadium for the Paralysed and Other Disabled.
