Background history
The hospitals which form part of this Trust today or which have contributed to its past development were all originally established as charities; voluntary and specialist hospitals which relied on public donations and subscriptions for their income. The oldest of these is The Middlesex Hospital, founded in 1745. It was one of the five voluntary general hospitals which were established in London during the 18th century, the others being Westminster (1719), Guy's (1721), St. George's (1733), and the London (1740) Hospitals. All the hospitals were concerned with helping out the poorer sections of London society, who could not afford to pay for medical treatment.
These hospitals, and others like them, generally obtained much of their income from subscribers, who donated a regular amount of money to the upkeep of the hospital and received a share in the management of the hospital in return. In 1948, the National Health Service was established, bringing most of hospitals in the UK under the direct control of the Government, funded by public taxation. Hospitals were grouped together into regional hospital management committees or teaching hospital groups. The NHS has been reorganised several times since its inception in 1948.
Below are listed significant dates for all the hospitals that form or have at one time formed part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Click on the links for more detailed information.
