St George's Hospital

St George’s Hospital stands on the main site in Tooting, south-west London, where it shares grounds with St George’s, University of London. The hospital traces its origins to 1733 when medical staff left the Westminster Infirmary to set up at Lanesborough House near Hyde Park Corner. By the 19th century the old building had been replaced by a 350-bed facility designed by William Wilkins, completed in 1844. In 1980 the hospital moved to Tooting after a new building was constructed in stages, with the final phase finished in 1980. Today it is one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country, run by the St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital is worth the journey because it combines general care with specialist services. It houses one of London’s four major trauma centres and one of eight hyper-acute stroke units. The trust also provides regional services such as complex pelvic trauma and nationwide programmes like family HIV care and bone marrow transplantation. In 2010 it joined the South West London and Surrey Trauma Network as the designated major trauma centre. The accident and emergency department was redesigned by Pearson Lloyd, cutting aggression against staff by half and improving patient flow. The cardiac unit has featured in Channel 4’s documentary series “24 Hours in A&E.” Visitors find a modern hospital set alongside the university campus. The Atkinson Morley Wing, opened in 2004, houses neuroscience, cardiac and cardiothoracic services. Signs and screens give clear directions and live updates on waiting times. The site includes the historic Grove Hospital buildings alongside new wards and departments. The hospital’s long medical heritage is reflected in its list of notable students and staff, from John Hunter and Edward Jenner to contemporary figures such as neurosurgeon Henry Marsh.