Origins of Woodlands Health Centre
A history of health care in Paddock Wood. The first Health Centre and teaching practice in Kent.
After the Second World War WW2 , in 1948, the National Health Service was established throughout Britain. Soon after, Dr MacDonald who had served in the Royal Navy during the war was appointed to a general practice in Paddock Wood. His surgery was in Maidstone Road, in a private house which later became a dentist’s surgery. (& still is 2022)
Dr Mac was a man of far sighted vision: he bought Mascalls (1953) the old manor house in whose grounds the Mascalls estate was later built. The billiard room became the surgery and was large enough, as the practice grew, to accommodate two doctors and a nurse (Mascalls was the birthplace of Sir Frederick Morgan of D Day fame, 1894-1967. It was never actually known as ’Manor’ it was simply called Mascalls.)
Mascalls (birth place of Sir Frederick Morgan, 5th Feb 1894) ) where Dr Mac’s surgery was. It was also the family home. Dr John Baker also practiced there for five years with Dr MacDonald ©
The entrance of what was the Drs Surgery at Mascalls during restoration in recent years ©
However Dr Mac’s vision was that medicine should not just be for treatment to restore health, but wherever possible to prevent ill health in the first place. And this would need not just doctors and nurses, but health visitors, dentists and therapists, all working together under one roof. He wanted the County Council to provide the premises for this ‘Centre of Health’ . When the Council were unwilling to do this he decided to go it alone and bravely bought a house called Woodlands in the centre of the village and kept it in readiness for the day when he knew his vision would become the norm. (Woodlands was once the family home of John Brunt VC)
And so it was that over the next ten years he managed to persuade the County Council and in 1970 he built the first Health Centre in Kent at Woodlands in Paddock Wood. Doctors, nurses and all the ancillary services moved in together. The practice became the first teaching general practice in Kent.
Over the years Paddock Wood village became a rural town and as the population grew the facilities at Woodlands were increasingly inadequate. So Dr Mac’s health centre was demolished and the practice was temporarily transferred to mobiles on St Andrews Recreation Ground.
The new health centre building was opened by Dr Mac’s widow to accomodate six doctors and all the supporting medical services for a state of the art twenty first century general practice. ©
Written by Ruth Baker, former Borough Mayor, and Dr John W Baker GP 1968-1993. Dr Baker served with Dr Mac at Mascalls for five years. Ruth and Dr John Baker were responsible for saving the Wesley Centre for community use. It was bought by the Borough Council in 1996.