Salisbury District Hospital

Salisbury District Hospital stands on Odstock Road in Britford, about two and a half kilometres south of Salisbury’s centre. It replaced three older hospitals: the wartime Odstock Hospital built in 1942, the Salisbury Infirmary in Fisherton Street, and Newbridge Hospital. The new building opened in 1991, attended by the Duchess of Kent. The site once treated American troops stationed nearby during the Second World War. Specialist units for burns, rehabilitation and cancer care were added after the war. The hospital is one of the largest employers in the region, with more than four thousand staff serving about 240 000 people across Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire. It hosts the country’s longest-running Skin Laser Clinic. In 2018 it provided care for Sergei and Yulia Skripal after their poisoning with a Novichok agent. A spinal injuries centre opened in 1984 with the Prince and Princess of Wales present. Visitors notice modern wards alongside artworks cared for by the hospital’s arts team, ArtCare. The team won a grant to preserve and digitise historic material from the site’s past. The hospital’s landscaped grounds lie close to the River Avon, offering calm views for patients and visitors.