Hope springs eternal

Feeling much better after my day off (yes, I went back in on Friday). Good job I am because I went to visit a friend today in hospital in a High Dependency Unit where there are so many restrictions I wasn't sure they'd let me in. Luckily, they did.

He was in Hope Hospital in Manchester, which I had heard of, but never visited. "Aptly named", I thought. So I set off, following my friend's wife's instructions along the M602 and followed the signs for "Hope Hosptial". All well and good.

Then the signs disappeared. I was somewhere in Salford looking for a bloody great hospital.

I found one, called "Salford Royal Hospital"

"Can't be two large hospitals in Salford", I thought, and promptly entered this one.

Luckily, it was the right one.

Why change the name?

Just to confuse visitors?

To confuse me even more, next door was a massive new building in progress, a "£200 million project of a new Hope Hospital"

Whoa!?

"Royal Salford" or "Hope"?

Make your mind up!

Reminded me of when I first came to Manchester and my husband was taken to hospital with concussion from a football match. I got a phone call from the manager saying,

"Andy's concussed. He's going to Park Hospital. See you there"

and he promptly rang off.

I got the A-Z out and looked for Park Hospital.

None.

I had to phone his mum and ask where Park Hospital was.

"Oh, it's 'Trafford General'" she said.

What is it with Manchester Hospitals?