Darent Valley Hospital

Darent Valley Hospital is a 478-bed, acute district general hospital in Dartford, Kent, England. The hospital has an Emergency Department. The hospital is managed by the Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.

Darent Valley Hospital
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
Darent Valley Hospital
Geography
Location	Dartford, Kent, England
Coordinates	51.4350°N 0.2584°E / 51.4350; 0.2584
Organisation
Care system	National Health Service
Funding	Public
Affiliated university	King's College London GKT School of Medical Education
Services
Emergency department	Yes
Beds	478
Helipad	Yes
History
Opened	14 December 2000
Links
Website	www.dgt.nhs.uk/visiting

History

Main article: Darenth Park Hospital

The hospital, which was built to replace Joyce Green Hospital, stands on the site of the former Darenth Park Hospital, founded by the Metropolitan Asylums Board as "Darenth School" in 1878.^[1] The Regional Health Board agreed to close Darenth in 1973, but the last patients did not leave until 1988.^[1] The vast Victorian complex was then demolished.^[1]

The new buildings were procured under a Private Finance Initiative contract in 1997, the first hospital project to use this form of procurement.^[2] They were designed by Nightingale Paulley Associates and built by Carillion^[3] at a cost of £94 million.^[4] The new hospital, which replaced the services previously provided at West Hill Hospital, Dartford and Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford, was officially opened by Alan Milburn, Secretary of State for Health, on 14 December 2000.^[5]

It is located near the Bluewater Shopping Centre.^[6]

A new on-site heart centre was opened on 2 January 2007.^[7]

Public transport

The hospital is served by London Buses routes 96 and 428, Fastrack route B and other local buses. The nearest railway stations are Dartford, Stone Crossing and Greenhithe, served by Southeastern and Thameslink.^[8]