A hospital for your ambition

[venta]

What is it with Oxford's hospitals ?

For years, two of the main hospitals in the city were called respectively the John Radcliffe and the Radcliffe Infirmary. People frequently referred to either as "the Radcliffe".

Why yes, since you ask, that did cause quite a lot of confusion.

This morning I headed up to The Nuffield, Headington, for a physio appointment. I was running late (having broken the cardinal rule of Oxford driving, notably do not go up Divinity Road when in a hurry). I then wasted twenty minutes in various different departments until we finally deduced that I should have been at Nuffield Hospital Oxford (The Manor). Which is also in Headington.

Next time anyone builds a hospital in Oxford, can we lobby them to give it a name which is, like, distinct from all the other medical establishments ?

Comments

[uitlander]

Can I suggest you adopt the Reading protcol, and from now on refer to your major IT businesses and your central shopping centre as Oracle. You'll find it makes everything so much more intuitive.

I always thought 'The Radcliffe' meant the infirmary, as people also spoke of 'The JR'. But until today I didn't know there were two Nuffields in the hospital context.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Nah, the Radcliffe is a library :)

There really aren't enough names to go round in Oxford. See also "Clarendon".

[uitlander]

Foolish child - that's the 'RSL'. How could you possibly confuse that with the 'RI' or the 'JR'?

Tush and pish!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Actually I didn't mean the RSL, I meant the Camera - thus further proving my own point, I feel!

[uitlander]

I'd like to have a good response to that. Only I'm so busy giggling....