Last week we brought you the fascinating early history of Teddington Memorial Hospital.

You can check out the article HERE

So how did the hospital get from the end of World War Two to now?

Since the 1950s the League of Friends had provided much-needed funds for the improvement of the Hospital's facilities.

During the 1980s the League launched an Appeal Fund to raise £285,000 for complete refurbishment of the Casualty, X-ray and Out-Patients Departments, with new waiting rooms, a Medical Records storage room and a staff dining room, as well as many other projects.

In December 1985 work began on preparing the foundations for the new buildings and, in July 1986, a foundation stone was set in the front wall of the Hospital.

The newly refurbished Casualty Department and the Out-Patients Department, with its new waiting room and League shop, opened in November 1986. The new X-ray Department opened in July 1987.

The League once again launched an Appeal in 1988 to raise £300,000 for a 22-bedded GP unit. Building work on this began in 1989, with the foundation stone being laid by the Health Secretary, Kenneth Clarke.

In 1990 Mrs Mary Baker, Director of Thames Television, opened the GP unit - the Pamela Bryant Ward, named after the Chairman of the League of Friends.

The following year the X-ray Department was equipped with an ultrasound machine and a mammography unit, funded again at a cost of £150,000 by the League of Friends, supported by the Hampton Fuel Allotment Charity.

In January 1992, after another NHS reorganisation, the Hospital applied for Trust status. The Secretary of State for Health granted it shadow Trust status in April 1993, to run as a pilot scheme for other community hospitals.

In the meantime, the League of Friends began another Appeal for funds to extend and improve the out-patients facilities, including installation of a minor surgery unit. The work for this was completed in 1994, the cost of £185,000 borne by the League Appeal.

In April 1995 the Hospital was granted full NHS Trust status. However, the League of Friends continued to raise funds for improvements and refurbishments. An appeal raised £160,000 to upgrade the Chappell and Anderson Wards, and £460,000 for the installation of a lift.

In 1998 a Hospital Chapel for All Faiths was built, at a cost of £195,000. The Bishop of Kensington, the Rt Revd Michael Colclough, conducted the opening service, which was attended by many religious leaders and some 200 members of the community. A plaque inside the building, unveiled by the Trust Chairman, Maggi Lyne, marked the official opening.

In 1999 the Trust was enlarged to include community services. Its name was changed to reflect this - and it became the Teddington Memorial Hospital and Community NHS Trust.

In the same year, a stained glass window was installed in the Chapel. Depicting local scenes, it was donated by the League.

By the end of the year, the League had donated almost £150,000 worth of equipment to the wards and various departments.

In 2002 the Hospital became part of the newly formed Richmond and Twickenham Primary Care Trust. In July 2003 the Trust received £1.5m funding to develop a Walk-In Centre at the Hospital.

In 2004 the newly modernised wards opened; Grace Anderson and Pamela Bryant Wards replaced the old Nightingale-style wards.

The ward development was funded by the government at a cost of £1.94m. In the same year the League of Friends launched another Appeal, this time to raise £900,000 to modernise the Hospital.

The plans included new X-ray equipment and a purpose-built, fully equipped Rehabilitation Unit. The new digital X-ray Department opened in July 2004, with the consultant radiologists at West Middlesex Hospital providing a diagnostic service.

In March 2010 the Teddington Memorial Health Centre, a new GP practice, opened.

The side entrance in Queen's Road leads to the newly opened £4m Teddington Health and Social Centre. The Centre, which also opened in March 2010, integrates health services with Council social care services.

The Teddington Memorial Hospital is still crucial today and through the pandemic - with this amazing story which we covered earlier this HERE