1984: Tadworth Court Hospital transfers from NHS to Charity

A newspaper clipping, titled "Pupils take note of Sir Charles". Below the title is a black and white image of children playing instruments and reading sheet music in front of a conductor. The text below describes the event. In sum, Purcell Music School pupils rehearsed with Sir Charles Groves for their upcoming concerts. This was to become an annual event. Sir Charles led the first orchestra through Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, and the children were performing this at an event in November to raise money for Tadworth Court Children's Hospital. The second orchestra, also led by Sir Charles were performing Bach's Brandenburg Concerto later in November. Both groups were joined by Sir Charles for tea after the rehearsals.
Newspaper clipping of fundraising event for Tadworth Court. Image © Reach PLC. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. Harrow Observer – Friday 26 October 1984, accessed via The British Newspaper Archive.

Tadworth Court was opened as the country branch of the Hospital for Sick Children (later renamed Great Ormond Street Hospital) in 1929. It joined the NHS along with GOSH in 1948.

In 1982, GOSH announced the planned closure of Tadworth as a cost-saving measure – it could not afford to continue running both Tadworth and the Great Ormond Street branch. Tadworth nurses and patients’ parents led a campaign against the planned closure, supported by a number of celebrities and politicians.

A consortium of charities – led by the charity now known as Scope – offered to take on the management of Tadworth to avoid its closure. In 1983, then Minister of Health Ken Clarke agreed to transfer the hospital from the NHS to a new purposely established charitable trust. The transfer took place in 1984, supported by £2.67 million in government grants (equivalent to £7.5 million in 2023).

In this newspaper clipping, school children are performing a concert in aid of the newly independent hospital.