Living and Working in Yorkshire
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a busy industrial town with a population of 75,000. The redeveloped town centre and extensive parklands and woodlands offer a pleasant living and working environment. "Scunny", as it is affectionately known, appeared in the Domesday Book as Escumetorp, Old Norse for "Skuma's village". The mining of Ironstone was carried out in the area as early as Roman times, but it was insignificant until iron ore was rediscovered in 1859. This led to the development of the iron and steel industry for which it became famous in the recent past.
There are excellent communications links including easy access to the main motorway system, to Humberside International airport, the new Doncaster-Sheffield Robin Hood airport and to the continental ferry terminal at Hull via the Humber Bridge. The cities of Sheffield, Hull, Lincoln and Doncaster are less than one hour’s drive away and rail links to London Kings Cross are excellent.
Housing costs are amongst the lowest in the country and there is a wide choice of residential areas. Educational facilities in Scunthorpe and the surrounding area are of a high standard. There is a wealth of cultural and sporting activities to suit most tastes, including country clubs, golf clubs, marinas and theatres.
Scunthorpe District Hospital
The Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust (NLAG) manages the hospitals in Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Goole. The Trust serves a population of 420,000 over ~500 square miles, from Goole in the west to Cleethorpes and the Lincolnshire coast in the East. The Trust has two major hospital sites located in the two large urban areas of Grimsby and Scunthorpe, and a small community hospital in Goole.
The Trust has a history of delivery of national targets, and on identifying and addressing areas for improvement. NLAG is a 3 star Trust and has maintained financial balance despite the difficult conditions which the NHS is currently experiencing, both at SHA and national level. The Trust is in the process of applying for Foundation status.
Scunthorpe General Hospital has recently undergone considerable expansion including a remodelled and expanded Medical Assessment Unit and a Patient Investigation Unit and Discharge Lounge. The purpose built Medical Imaging Department incorporates a leading edge digital imaging service. Planned developments for 2006/7 include the modernisation of a number of medical wards, and a new haemodialysis satellite unit will open in autumn 2007.
The hospital has 460 beds, 222 are designated for Adult Medicine. The Medical beds include:
- a 22 bed acute medical admissions unit serving acute adult and elderly admissions
- a 7 bed coronary care unit plus 4 stepdown beds
- an Oncology/Haematology Ward with Isolation facilities
- Purpose-designed Stroke Unit - Stepping Stones offering 21 beds and a dedicated daycare facility.