Long before
Guy's and St Thomas' were brought together as a single NHS Hospital
Trust in April 1993, the two hospitals had shared centuries of
working together.
St Thomas'
St Thomas' was founded, with 40 beds, for the poor including
the "sick
and the merely needy" in the 12th century as the infirmary
of the Augustinian priory and was run by the 11 brothers and sisters
of the monastery.
The original hospital was located near today's Guy's Hospital and
was re-founded after a fire in 1212 on the east side of Borough
High Street. The hospital grew in size and reputation and in 1871,
following the building of the railway, relocated to its present
site south of Westminster Bridge.
St Thomas’ Hospital was the home of the Nightingale Training
School for nurses, established by Florence Nightingale in 1860.
Now known as the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery,
it is part of King’s College London and continues to play
a leading role in healthcare education and research.
The Florence Nightingale Museum, based at St Thomas’, provides
a fascinating insight into the life and work of Florence Nightingale.
For more information, visit the museum website.
Guy's
Thomas Guy, MP, bible seller and governor of St Thomas', founded
Guy's in 1721 as a hospital for "incurables". As Guy's
expanded from its original 60 beds into a major hospital, it retained
close links with St Thomas', particularly through the joint medical
school that the hospitals shared.
The schools separated in 1825 and were reunited as the United Medical
and Dental Schools in 1982. Guy's remains on its original site
south of London Bridge.
Close to Guy’s Hospital, the Old Operating Theatre Museum
and Herb Garret details the history of herbal medicine and surgery,
and contains the oldest surviving operating theatre in the country.
For more information, visit the museum website.
The Trust
In 1993, the two hospitals merged to form Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital
NHS Trust. The Trust provides a full range of hospital services
to our local communities in Lambeth and Southwark, as well as specialist
services for patients from further afield including cancer, cardiac,
renal and children’s services.
|
