New ward names announced

We’ve been busy in recent weeks, working with different staff groups and some of our patients to agree on the name of the building currently under construction at the Western Community Hospital site, as well as the two new wards within it.

The building has been named the South of England Rehabilitation Centre (SERC), a name that is strong, clear and in keeping with other specialist rehabilitation units in the country.

In naming the two wards, we spent some time working with our teams and asked for suggestions and feedback, including gathering ideas from some of our rehabilitation patients. After many discussions and different iterations, we are delighted to confirm that the wards will be called Keats and Conan Doyle, named after famous writers linked to Hampshire.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, most famous for writing the Sherlock Holmes novels, first moved to Southsea in 1882, opening a clinic where he could practice medicine. Though he later moved from the area, he took a keen interest in the New Forest, which set the scene for his book ‘The White Company’, and was buried in Minstead after his death in 1930.

Romantic poet John Keats made a visit to Winchester in late summer 1818 and in the two months he spent there he fell in love with the city, which inspired one of his most famous poems, ‘to Autumn’.

We owe many thanks to all those who made suggestions and put forward their ideas as part of the naming process, and we look forward to welcoming staff and patients into the two new wards when they open later this year.