About HSMC

The Health Services Management Centre is based at Park House, a Victorian building, set in extensive grounds near Edgbaston Pool and the University campus. The house, which was originally called 'Southfields', was built for John Hawkins, a screw manufacturer in Birmingham. It had various owners and was eventually bought by Barrow and Geraldine Cadbury who, in 1945, donated it to the United Birmingham Hospitals for use as a residential nurses' training school. When the nurses' training school was moved to new premises, Park House was acquired by the University of Birmingham and the Health Services Management Centre was established there in 1972.

The HSMC Knowledge & Evidence Service (KES) is a specialist information provider which houses a unique collection of books, journals and electronic material on the non-clinical aspects of health care, including subject areas such as health management, commissioning, leadership, social care and health policy

The services provided by KES include; reference and enquiries, lending, literature searching, current awareness, and user education as well as a range of services supporting trends in both distance and e-learning.

A fully equipped IT resource room containing 12 PCs for private study, including one designated for disabled use, is also available.

More information about the Knowledge & Evidence Service

Park House has 4 fully equipped teaching rooms: the Courtyard Room, the Garden Room, the Woodland Room and the largest, the Southfield Room, which can seat up to 75 people theatre style.

Dining area

The dining area can accommodate up to 45 for a sit-down meal and up to 100 for a standing buffet. Visitors can also make use of the large patio in good weather. Our snack bar is open 11 months of the year from 8.30 am until 2.30 pm each day.