South Ockendon Hospital (known locally as The Colony) was a hospital for patients with severe learning difficulties and for patients with major and rare mental health illnesses in

South Ockendon South Ockendon is a town, former civil parish and Church of England parish within the Thurrock borough in Essex in the East of England, United Kingdom. It is located on the border with Greater London, just outside the M25 motorway. The area to t ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, England.

History

The site acquired for the hospital, which once formed part of the South Ockendon Hall estate, was known as Little Mollands Farm. It opened as the South Ockendon Colony, a facility for "mental defectives", in 1932. It joined the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

in 1948 when it was renamed the South Ockendon Hospital. The foundation stone for the Gloucester Clinic, a new clinical facility, was laid by the

Duchess of Gloucester Duchess of Gloucester is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title used by the wife of the Duke of Gloucester. There have been five titles referring to Gloucester since the 14th century. The current duchess is Birgitt ...

in 1955. In 1974 an employee at the hospital anonymously sent

Barbara Robb Barbara Robb (née Anne, 15 April 1912 – 21 June 1976) was a British campaigner for the well-being of older people, best known for founding and leading the pressure group AEGIS (Aid for the Elderly in Government Institutions) and for the book ...

, a campaigner for the well-being of elderly people, pages torn from a ward report book, describing severe injuries probably inflicted by staff on a patient. Robb's personal involvement and persistence was recognized by

Barbara Castle Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, (''née'' Betts; 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002) was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament from 1945 United Kingdom general elec ...

Secretary of State for Health and Social Services A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evaluat ...

.Anon, 'Disturbing report on a hospital: health authorities to be asked to review standards of care' ''Times'', 16 May 1974, 16 After the introduction of

Care in the Community Care in the Community (also called "Community Care" or "Domiciliary Care") is a British policy of deinstitutionalisation, treating and caring for physically and mentally disabled people in their homes rather than in an institution. Institutional c ...

in the early 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline and closed in 1994. Most of the buildings were demolished, except for a building which was subsequently converted for use as a community club, and redevelopment of the site, now known as the Brandon Groves Estate, was completed in 2000.

References

{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1932 Buildings and structures in Thurrock Defunct hospitals in England Former psychiatric hospitals in England History of mental health in the United Kingdom 1932 establishments in England 1994 disestablishments in England South Ockendon