The Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in

St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...

, London, England, is a

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charitable general hospital in north London.

History and operations

The hospital was founded in 1856 with a

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affiliation and is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

. It was founded as the "Hospital of St Elizabeth" by the

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. Originally located in Great Ormond Street, London, by the end of the 19th century it had relocated to St John's Wood and adopted its present name. The chapel which once stood on Great Ormond Street was moved brick-by-brick to its new site at the Hospital in St John's Wood. At its founding, the hospital was entrusted to the care of the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

, whose stewardship would continue for many decades to come; more recently, however, the Sisters of Mercy have withdrawn from the management of the hospital, and it is now under lay control. The hospital closed temporarily in 1866 due to a lack of funds, but later reopened. The hospital was vital during the war effort of both the First and Second World Wars, being used by the

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to treat injured military personnel. In 2009, it had an income of £42,671,000, making it one of the 150 largest charities in the United Kingdom. The hospital came to media attention in late 2007 when two

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a t ...

members resigned in protest after a new code of ethics, issued by

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Cormac Murphy-O'Connor Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British cardinal, the Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He sub ...

, was accepted by the board. The new code "bars doctors from offering any service which conflicts with Catholic teaching" including "sex-change operations, providing contraception, abortion referrals and IVF treatment". Later in 2008, the Cardinal ordered the resignation of the remaining board members and installed

Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank Field Marshal Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie, Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, (born 17 November 1938) is a retired senior officer of the British Army who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1994 to 1997 and Chief of the Defence Staff from ...

as chairman. It was reported that Jacob Rees-Mogg had resigned but Aida Hersham did not.

Facilities

The hospital's facilities include five theatres, and en-suite bathrooms in all of the patients' rooms. It is also the home to British Athletics, which established its medical headquarters at the Hospital to care for track and field athletes. HJE Official website. Retrieved 20 July 2015 The hospital employs over 600 doctors. St Andrew's Ward, a new £2.1 million 10-bed stroke and medical ward, opened in July 2016, bringing the total number of beds to over 70.

St John's Hospice

The hospital's profits from private healthcare are used to run St John's Hospice, a

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

located within the hospital site where over 4,500 terminally ill patients are treated each year.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1856 establishments in England Grade II* listed churches in the City of Westminster Charities based in London Health in the City of Westminster Hospitals established in 1856 Hospitals in London Catholic Church in England Private hospitals in the United Kingdom St John's Wood

History and operations

Facilities

St John's Hospice

See also

References

External links