Whipps Cross University Hospital is a large

university hospital A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following is a l ...

in the locality of

Whipps Cross Whipps Cross is an area of the districts of Leytonstone and Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England. It is most famous for Whipps Cross University Hospital. The area The name Whipps Cross specifically applies ...

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, ...

and is within

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...

in the

London Borough of Waltham Forest The London Borough of Waltham Forest () is a London borough in north-east London, England. Its population is estimated to be 276,983 in 2019. It borders five other London boroughs: Enfield to the north-west, Haringey to the west, Hackney to ...

, London, England. It is managed by Barts Health NHS Trust.

History

In 1889 the

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient pa ...

Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

purchased Forest House with of grounds at

, with the intention of building a

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

. Construction of an infirmary for the workhouse started in 1900 and was completed in 1903. Designed by Francis Sturdy, the former main entrance is in the style of a northern

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

town hall. When it opened the infirmary provided 672 beds in 24 wards in four awe-inspiring symmetrical blocks with tiered covered walkways and two massive towers. The site and buildings cost £250,000 in total. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighti ...

, the infirmary was used to treat wounded troops; a brass plaque in the main corridor has this inscription: ''"This tablet was erected to commemorate the visit of Their Majesties

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Quee ...

& Queen Mary with H.R.H. Princess Mary, to this Infirmary and War Hospital on Saturday, 17 November 1917, when Their Majesties visited the wounded soldiers and the Queen presented the medals and certificates of training to the nurses."'' By the end of the war, the infirmary had started to become a general hospital and the name was changed to Whipps Cross Hospital. Management passed from the Board of Guardians to the County Borough of West Ham council in 1930 as a result of the Local Government Act 1929. In 1936 the hospital had 741 acute medical and surgical beds. A major extension to the east of the old Infirmary block and that was planned and was opened in July 1940. The Hospital transferred to the new

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

in 1946 as part of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. The hospital joined the

in 1948. Forest House was used as a ward for male mental patients; it was closed in 1962 when a new hostel, Samuel Boyce Lodge, was opened, and was finally demolished in 1964. A Medical Education Centre opened in 1965, an Intensive Care Unit opened in 1968 and a Hyperbaric Unit opened the same year. Further extensions included the a Maternity Wing in 1973, the Margaret Centre providing palliative care for patients with life-limiting illnesses in 1987 and the Plane Tree Centre for the provision of day surgery in 1995. A redevelopment programme to create state-of-the-art facilities in the A&E Department was completed in time for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

on 9 May 2012.

Facilities

Whipps Cross provides a full range of local general hospital services and is home to one of the busiest A&E departments in the country. Whipps Cross was listed as having one of the worst rates for

MRSA Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of Gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of ''Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. ...

in 2008 but by 2010 Whipps Cross had the lowest rate of infections in London.

Teaching

The hospitals serves as a teaching hospital for medical students from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Radio

The hospital has its own radio service; Whipps Cross Hospital Radio (WXHR), a registered charity founded in 1969 by the Walthamstow

Lions Club The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquarter ...

to provide entertainment and information to the patients and staff. In 2014, Whipps Cross Hospital Radio became the second most used entertainment channel at Whipps Cross Hospital. And was fourth most listened to hospital radio service in the UK, on figures released by

Hospedia Hospedia Ltd is a provider of bedside communication and entertainment units in UK hospitals, as well as clinical work flow solutions. History Hospedia Ltd is a private limited company, established in 1993. Hospedia acquired Patientline during ...

, the patient entertainment system provider. The final live broadcast from Whipps Cross Hospital Radio took place in September 2022, with the service due to close completely at the end of 2022. Station Manager Phil Hughes told East London Radio why it was closing. In December 2022, Bedrock Radio replaced Whipps Cross Hospital Radio. Bedrock Radio is a registered charity providing a hospital radio services across East London & South Essex.

Transport

The closest stations are

Leytonstone tube station Leytonstone is a London Underground station in Leytonstone in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, east London. It is on the Central line, on the boundary of Zones 3 and 4. Towards Central London the next station is Leyton, while going east ...

on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Un ...

's Central line and

Wood Street railway station Wood Street is a railway station on the Chingford branch of the Lea Valley lines, located in Upper Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, east London. It is down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between ...

and Leyton Midland Road on

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a large part of Greater London as ...

Chingford branch line The Chingford branch line is a railway line between Clapton Junction (just northeast of Clapton station) and Chingford station. Services operate between Liverpool Street station and Chingford.See West Anglia Main Line for more information about ...

and Gospel Oak to Barking line respectively. There are several buses that connect the hospital to Leytonstone station. Bus routes W12, W15, W19 and on Sundays 357 stop outside the hospital main entrance. All these services provide a connection to Waltamstow Central Tube and Overgound Station. Additionally, W15 and W19 serve Leytonstone Tube Station for the Central line.

Notable births

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending ...

David Bailey David Royston Bailey (born 2 January 1938) is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties. Early life David Bailey was born at Whi ...

Graham Gooch Graham Alan Gooch, (born 23 July 1953) is a former English first-class cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, h ...

* Steve Harris *

Rita Simons Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer from London. She is best known for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed-off, alongside her on screen ...

Harry Kane Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the England national team. A prolific goalscorer with strong link play, Kane is regarded as one ...

References

External links

*
Whipps Cross University Hospital on the NHS website

Care Quality Commission inspection reports

London Hyperbaric
{{authority control Barts Health NHS Trust Hospital buildings completed in 1903 Hospitals established in 1903 NHS hospitals in London Health in the London Borough of Waltham Forest Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Waltham Forest Poor law infirmaries