Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital |
|
|---|---|
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | |
.jpg)
Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital Main Building
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Du Cane Road, London, W12 0HS, England |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | NHS England |
| Hospital type | Specialist |
| Affiliated university | Imperial College London |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | No |
| Speciality | Maternity, obstetrics and neonatal care services |
| History | |
| Founded | 1739 |
Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital is one of Europe's oldest hospitals for mothers and babies. It was started in London way back in 1739. The hospital used to be in Hammersmith until 2000. Now, it is located near East Acton and White City, right next to Hammersmith Hospital. The Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust manages the hospital today.
Contents
Hospital History
The hospital began in 1739 when Sir Richard Manningham opened a small hospital. It had 17 rooms and special beds for women giving birth. This first hospital was called the General Lying-in Hospital. It was the first of its kind in Britain.
In 1752, the hospital moved to Marylebone Road. It became one of the first places to teach doctors and nurses about childbirth. On January 10, 1782, the hospital officially received a special license. This was needed for all maternity hospitals back then.
Royal Connections
In 1809, the Duke of Sussex asked his mother, Queen Charlotte, to support the hospital. She agreed, and the hospital became the Queen's Lying-in Hospital. Queen Charlotte even held a special yearly ball to raise money for it.
The hospital moved again in 1813 to the Old Manor House in Marylebone. This building was completely rebuilt in 1856. Later, in 1885, Queen Victoria gave the hospital a Royal Charter. This was a special document that gave it official royal approval. In 1923, its name changed to Queen Charlotte's Maternity Hospital and Midwifery Training School.
Improving Safety for Mothers
For a long time, many mothers died during or after childbirth in London. This was especially true for healthy young women. One big problem was infection after birth, often called "childbed fever." Doctors sometimes called it "the doctor's plague" because it was more common in hospitals than at home.
By 1931, people understood how these infections spread. So, a special area was built at Goldhawk Road to keep infected patients separate. In 1940, the rest of the hospital moved to Goldhawk Road to be with this isolation area.
In 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) was created. The hospital then joined with the Chelsea Hospital for Women. They formed a combined teaching school. In 1988, the Chelsea Hospital for Women moved to the same site. The hospital was then named Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea Hospital. Finally, in 2000, the hospital moved to its current location on Du Cane Road.
Notable Staff
Many important people have worked at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital.
- Alice Blomfield (1866-1938) was the Matron (head nurse) from 1908 to 1924. She helped expand the Out Patient's Department. She also set up new homes for midwives and the first training school for midwives at a special hospital. Alice gave talks about preventing blindness in babies and about midwife training.
- Elsie Knocker (1884-1878) trained as a midwife at the hospital. She later became famous for her brave work as a nurse and ambulance driver during the First World War. She even received a Military Medal for her courage.
Hospital Facilities
.jpg)
The hospital has a special unit called the de Swiet Obstetric Medicine Centre. This unit helps pregnant women who have other health problems. These problems might have existed before pregnancy or developed during it. This special care makes sure both the mother and baby stay healthy.
Birth Options
The hospital offers two main places for giving birth: a labour ward and a birth centre.
- The labour ward is a larger area with 18 rooms. It offers a more traditional way to give birth. Women here can choose to have epidurals for pain relief. About 5,700 babies were born in this ward between 2016 and 2017.
- The birth centre is a smaller, more "homely" place. It has seven birthing rooms. The goal here is a natural birth without much medical help. Women can use birth pools, and epidurals are not used. Around 1,030 babies were born here between 2017 and 2018.
Babies born in both areas can get care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) if they need it.
Jentle Midwifery Scheme
Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital also has a program called the "Jentle Midwifery" scheme. This program gives mothers very personal care. The same midwife supports the mother throughout her pregnancy, during birth, and for up to four weeks after the baby is born. This offers a different choice from standard NHS care. In its first year, 74 women joined this program.
Research
The hospital is involved in important research to help mothers and babies.
Miscarriage Research
In 2016, the hospital teamed up with Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriages. This group helps fund research into problems during pregnancy. They opened a miscarriage clinic at the hospital. Here, women can get medical care while taking part in research studies. The big goal is to reduce miscarriages by half by the year 2030. They are studying genetic causes, bacteria, and risk factors for miscarriages.
Preventing Cot Death
Another project in 2016 aimed to prevent "cot death," also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The hospital gave 800 families foam mattresses inside cardboard boxes for their newborns. These boxes are popular in Finland. They help keep babies from rolling onto their stomachs, which can be dangerous.
Ongoing Research
Today, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital is a key place for research. It is one of five teaching and research hospitals in London that are part of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. They are working on many projects, including studies on brain conditions like Parkinson's and treatments for certain cancers.
COSMIC Charity
COSMIC is a charity that helps the hospital's intensive care units for babies and children. They raise money for special equipment, like patient monitors and sensory play stations. COSMIC also helps fund training for staff. They give emotional and practical support to families with children in intensive care. The charity also supports research into childhood diseases.
Transport
You can get to the hospital easily by public transport. The closest bus stops are "Wulfstan Street" and "Hammersmith Hospital." The nearest tube station is East Acton on the Central Line.
Notable Births at the Hospital
Many well-known people have been born at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, including:
- Alexander Aris, civil rights activist
- Mischa Barton, actress
- Sebastian Coe, athlete
- Benedict Cumberbatch, actor
- Roger Daltrey, musician
- Danny Kustow (1955-2019), pop musician
- Dame Helen Mirren, actress
- Daniel Radcliffe, actor
- Zak Starkey, pop musician
- Graeme K Talboys, author
- Carol Thatcher, journalist
- Mark Thatcher, businessman
See also
- British Lying-In Hospital
- List of hospitals in England
- Portland Hospital
- Samaritan Hospital for Women
- South London Hospital for Women and Children
