Wednesday 11thOctober 1911 saw the opening of the new Montgomery County Infirmary Llanfair Road Newtown. The previous Montgomery County Infirmary site had been in use for 43years but a growing population meant a larger site was required than the converted private house on Severn Place adjacent to the Flannel Exchange. The old infirmary building was later sold to the Territorial Armoury.
The land on Llanfair Road had been donated by Mr and Mrs Edward Powell, of Plas-y-Bryn, in memory of their daughter, and was considered a perfect site due to it being situated on the hillside with panoramic views, attracting the fresh breeze and sunshine. Mr Edward and Mr Mary Eleanor Powell eldest daughter of Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones had stipulated that no new building developments should not be built, obstructing the view.
After much hard work by the building committee and generous contributions from the community far and wide, a modern and well equipped infirmary was produced at a cost of £6,000.
The front of the building, on Llanfair Road, was approached by a drive and forecourt which, at the opening ceremony on the 11th October 1911, was festooned with bunting and streamers, as well as tall Venetian masts that had been erected and provided an air of celebration.
Alongside the infirmary, a tuberculosis dispensary was planned. In the early 1900s tuberculosis was a major health crisis across Wales, with officials baffled by the mortality rates which were twenty percent higher than those in England and Scotland. David Davies, the Liberal MP for Montgomeryshire, helped to launch the Welsh National Memorial Association (WNMA) around 1910 with John Tomley (healthcare reformer of Montgomeryshire), and was a major contributor to its funding.
Montgomeryshire MP David Davies, who was the president of the infirmary and with his sister’s Gwendoline and Margaret Davies donated fifty percent of its funds, explained the purpose of it being built before introducing Sir Williams-Wynn the Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire who, although by this time was a resident of Denbighshire, still regarded Montgomeryshire as his native county.
It was then explained that, once completed, the dispensary would be placed at the disposal of the national campaign against the scourge of tuberculosis, and would hopefully act as an incentive to build other dispensaries around the country. It was estimated that another 10-15 dispensaries would be built across Wales.
The aim was to provide early diagnosis and treatment of cases and to act as an ‘outpost’ in the attack against tuberculosis. Canvassing of the county to discover cases early, examination of contacts, classification of cases in terms of whether in-patient care was required or whether they could be treated at home or in other settings such as sanatoriums and monitoring the progress of the decease were all incorporated became part of the dispensary’s role.
Some of the tasks for nurses within the wider community involved ensuring houses were insanitary conditions and disinfected when required. A full time medical officer was appointed and statistics regarding the patients and disease were the responsibility of the dispensary.
The work of Montgomery County Infirmary and the tuberculosis dispensary and, more importantly, the people involved in the vision, created a highly structured system of tracking and treating tuberculosis which was pioneering for its time and functioned as a regional blueprint for the NHS.