The Horder Centre Heritage
Our Heritage
The Horder Centre was founded in 1954 by Cecilia Bochenek with Dr Joyce Peake as a charity to provide care and support to those suffering with arthritis. It was named after its first president Lord Horder, a famous physician in his day.
Today, the Centre has grown into a vibrant 21st Century hospital, respected nationally as a centre of orthopaedic excellence.
The Centre has witnessed enormous changes over the decades but has lost none of its core values and aims, most importantly its charitable purpose, namely the "advancement of health and the relief of patients suffering from ill health."
The main hospital buildings date back to the early 1980s but it was not until 1989 that the first operating suite was opened and the Centre’s therapy services were redeveloped.
Following a multi-million pound investment programme in 2004, the Centre now utilises three state of the art operating theatres, the latest X-ray facilities and MRI scanning services as well as new and up-graded wards and individual bedrooms providing 59 surgical beds – none of which were available back in 1981.
The Centre offers a long and comprehensive list of services and treatments aimed at all ages, provided by the most respected Consultants working in the South East, as well as highly skilled and dedicated nursing and administration staff.
As part of its aim to maximize access to its services, The Horder Centre accepts patients funded by the NHS under the Government’s Free Choice initiative. Patients can now be referred directly to The Horder Centre by their GP.
And as originally intended by Cecilia Bochenek and Dr Peake, much of the Centre’s activity is centred on rehabilitation, helping patients achieve a successful and rapid recovery from arthritic and other musculo-skeletal conditions.
Diane Thomas, Chief Executive of The Horder Centre, said: "The Centre owes so much to the original vision of Cecilia Bochenek and Dr Joyce Peake, and we continue that vision through our determination to improve and enhance the services we offer to more and more people.
"This continuous improvement programme will now take the form of another multi-million pound development scheme, due to start early in 2010, to create more en-suite rooms, a new physiotherapy gym, a new out-patients area and a new reception and café."
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