Listerdale Maternity Home, built in 1938 is a typical, early 20th century model 'cottage hospital' design. A stone built building accessed by a long drive and located in what was a quiet area before the increase in traffic on the A631, Bawtry Road.
During the period from 1943-48, war casualties were admitted.
In 1960, there were between 550 and 600 deliveries at the maternity home; by the end of 1963, the number had jumped towards 1,000, and without any proportionate increase in staff.
This issue was raised in the House of Commons in 1963 by Brian O'Malley M.P. who feared that the standard of nursing, the time which midwives could give to women in labour, the supervision of breast feeding for long-stay patients, were suffering. He asked the Minister if he would take up with the Hospital Management Committee the question of a further labour ward and the question of the employment of extra midwives, nurses and clerical assistance.
Mr. O'Malley said he was concerned about the large numbers of women who were opting for a home confinement.
At this time with regard to maternity beds, the situation in the Sheffield region was almost the worst in the country, but the situation in the Rotherham and Mexborough area was worse than any other.
Opinions differed about the extent to which early discharge would be reasonable or desirable even if there were no shortage of maternity beds. Recommendations of the Maternity Services (Cranbrook) Committee, in 1961, had envisaged a 10 day stay in hospital with 70 per cent of all confinements taking place in hospital. Not many hospital maternity cases gave rise to medical complications. For this reason, doctors thought that early discharge was suitable.
In 1970, a report prepared for Dr. John Dunwoody, M.P., the Health and Social Security minister, recorded 25 full time nursing staff were employed there.
Around 1974, the stay was recommended as 10 days for a first child, and 48 hours for other mothers. In 1979, women who gave birth at Moorgate Hospital, were taken to Listerdale to spend the rest of their confinement, at that time it was 7 days.
In 1980 Rotherham Area Health Authority announced the proposed closure of the Listerdale Maternity Hospital. In April of that year, Peter Hardy, M.P. raised a question about the fact the building would remain empty, while elsewhere in the region. beds were scarce. He gave an example of psychiatric patients from Rotherham, who had automatically been sent to Middlewood Hospital, in Sheffield. He went on to explain that such patients could no longer be sent to Sheffield. He said that if there was adequate provision in Rotherham, that would be desirable, but there was no room unless places such as Listerdale and Rosehill at Rawmarsh could be used.
In January 1987 the NHS sold Listerdale Hospital, for £285,000 to Rotherham Borough Council who planned to convert the building into a home for the elderly mental infirm.
Listerdale Residential Care Home now accomodates 39 residents
There must have been many famous people born at the Maternity home, we can only name a couple:
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