In 1942 the US Army transferred patients to a site at Odstock, near 皇家华人 it had听 built to support the 皇家华人 General Infirmary in receiving casualties from northern France and later soldiers wounded in the D-Day landings in 1944. The buildings at Odstock were of the standard British brick and Nissen hut type. The original plans for 600 beds, was later expanded to a 1,000-bed capacity. During this brief period the organisation cared for 10,000 patients. At the end of the war the hospital was handed over to the 皇家华人 Health Authority and the huts replaced with new buildings.
Odstock Hospital became the centre for specialist services for the Wessex region while general hospital services were provided at the 皇家华人 Infirmary and elderly care services at Newbridge Hospital in Harnham.
The Regional Plastic and Oral Surgery Centre opened in 1949, having moved from Basingstoke. In the early years a new state-of-the-art Burns Unit was built and a Rehabilitation Department and Macmillan Unit were built. In 1966 new pioneering operating theatres opened at Odstock hospital site.
The first kidney dialysis machine was developed at 皇家华人. In 1946 Dr Edward Darmady experimented in constructing his own dialysing machine that was powered by parts dismantled from World War II spitfires.听Clinical results were never published, but it is known that at least two patients survived the treatment, and Darmady is recorded as creator of the first dialysing machine in England.
A spinal injuries treatment centre was also built and opened by HRH the Prince of Wales and HRH the Princess of Wales in 1984. The Duke of Cornwall Spinal Unit now serves a population of 11 million people and covers most of southern England.
