Royal London Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Royal London Hospital |
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| Barts Health NHS Trust | |
The current Royal London Hospital under construction in 2009
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 Location in London Borough of Tower Hamlets
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| Geography | |
| Location | Whitechapel Road, Whitechapel, London, England |
| Coordinates | 51°31′05″N 0°03′32″W / 51.5180°N 0.0588°W |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | National Health Service |
| Hospital type | Teaching |
| Affiliated university | Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes (major trauma centre) |
| Helipad | Yes |
| Beds | 845 |
| History | |
| Founded | 1740 |
The Royal London Hospital is a very large hospital in Whitechapel, London. It is a teaching hospital, which means it helps train new doctors and nurses. The hospital is part of the Barts Health NHS Trust.
It provides regular hospital services for people in the City of London and Tower Hamlets. It also offers special care for patients from all over London and beyond. The hospital building has 845 beds and 34 wards. It first opened its doors in February 2012.
The hospital started in September 1740. It was first called the London Infirmary. In 1748, its name changed to the London Hospital. Then, in 1990, it became the Royal London Hospital. The very first patients were treated in a house on Featherstone Street. In May 1741, the hospital moved to Prescot Street. It stayed there until 1757. That's when it moved to its current spot on Whitechapel Road.
The hospital has a helipad on its roof. This is where London's Air Ambulance operates from.
Contents
Hospital History
How the Hospital Started
By the mid-1700s, London had five hospitals. These hospitals gave free medical care to people who could not pay. But none of them were in the east of the city. This area, like Spitalfields and Whitechapel, was growing fast. Many people there were poor.
The London Hospital was created to help these people. It began on September 23, 1740. Seven men met in a tavern to plan a new hospital.
On November 3, the London Infirmary opened. It was in a house on Featherstone Street. The staff included one surgeon, one doctor, and one pharmacist. Patients did not pay for treatment. The hospital was funded by donations and yearly fees.
In May 1741, the hospital moved to a bigger place. This new spot was on Prescot Street. The next year, the Duke of Richmond became the hospital's first President. The name changed to The London Hospital around 1748.
The Prescot Street buildings became too old by 1744. So, people started raising money for a new building. The hospital bought land at Whitechapel Mount. Work on the new building began in 1751. This new hospital was built just for patients. It had 300 beds. It opened in September 1757.
Students had been learning from the hospital staff since it opened. But the London Hospital Medical College officially started in 1785. This was thanks to William Blizard, a hospital surgeon. It was the first medical school built with a hospital in England. In 1995, it joined with another medical college. It became part of Queen Mary University of London.
Important People in the 1800s
In the 1870s, the hospital wanted to make nursing better. In 1880, Eva Luckes became the Matron (head nurse). She held this job for almost 40 years. She was a very important leader in nursing. She started a new nurse training program. This included the first school for new nurses. Her friend, Florence Nightingale, called her 'O Matron of Matrons'.
Eva Luckes trained over 470 head nurses. Many of them became leaders in other hospitals. Edith Cavell trained under Luckes in the late 1890s. Edith Cavell later helped many soldiers escape during World War I. She was a nurse at the hospital.
Joseph Merrick, known as the "Elephant Man," came to the hospital in 1886. He lived there for the last few years of his life. His skeleton is kept at the medical school. It is not shown to the public.
The 1900s and Beyond
In 1990, Queen Elizabeth II visited the hospital. She added "Royal" to its name. This was to celebrate its 250th birthday. The nursing school joined with another in 1994. It became the St Bartholomew School of Nursing & Midwifery.
A New Hospital for the 21st Century
In 2005, plans were approved to rebuild and expand the hospital. The new building replaced some of the old parts. Some of these old parts were from when the hospital first moved in 1757. The project also created a new trauma and emergency care center. It added new facilities for kidney and children's care.
This big project was designed by HOK and built by Skanska. It cost £650 million. Parts of the new hospital opened in 2012. The whole project was finished in 2016. The old hospital buildings were turned into the new Tower Hamlets Town Hall.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, two floors of the hospital were opened. These floors had never been used before. They were fitted out to help treat more patients. This cost £24 million.
Famous People Who Worked Here
Many important people have worked or trained at the Royal London Hospital. Here are a few:
- Doris Beale: A very senior nurse in the Royal Navy.
- Ethel Becher: A chief nurse for the British Army.
- Edith Cavell: A British nurse executed during World War I.
- Eva Luckes: The Matron who greatly improved nursing at the hospital.
- Maud McCarthy: A chief nurse for the British Army during World War I.
- Sarah Oram: Another senior military nurse during World War I.
Former Museum
The Royal London Hospital used to have a museum. It was in the basement of an old church. The museum reopened in 2002 after being updated. It showed the hospital's history since 1740. It also covered the history of medicine in the East End.
The museum had old surgical tools, uniforms, and documents. It even had a section on forensic medicine. This included items about famous cases like Jack the Ripper. There were also displays about Joseph Merrick (the 'Elephant Man') and nurse Edith Cavell. The museum closed in 2020.
Emergency and Trauma Care
The Royal London Hospital is one of the busiest trauma centers in the UK. A trauma center treats people with very serious injuries. The Barts Health NHS Trust, which includes this hospital, treats over 1,255 injured patients every day.
The Queen Mary University of London has a Centre for Trauma Sciences. This center works closely with the hospital's Major Trauma Centre.
The Royal London Hospital is part of a plan to improve emergency care in London. In 2010, the London Trauma System started. This system is thought to be the biggest of its kind in the world. It includes four main London hospitals, including The Royal London Hospital. Other smaller units treat less serious injuries.
Patient Entertainment
Bedrock Radio is a charity that provides hospital radio. They play music and shows for patients. They started serving Barts Health Trust hospitals in November 2022.
Hospital Symbol
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See also
In Spanish: Hospital Real de Londres para niños
- Healthcare in London
- List of hospitals in England
- London's Air Ambulance
- Whitechapel Mount
