Top 5 Hospitals in the UK
The UK has some of the world’s best medical specialists and hospitals. However, not all hospitals are equal. Whether you need surgery, diagnostic tests or medication, here are the top 5 hospital in UK.
BUPA Cromwell has built up a worldwide reputation for its state-of-the-art facilities and expertise. The hospital specialises in gynaecology, urology and cancer treatment, as well as offering orthopaedic care.
1. St Thomas’s Hospital
One of the UK’s best hospitals, St Thomas’s is a large NHS teaching hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and – along with Guy’s Hospital, King’s College Hospital and University Hospital Lewisham – it is the location of the King’s Health Partners GKT School of Medical Education.
The original hospital was founded in 1173 and was named after the murdered Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, although it existed as a hospital since the 12th century. It was initially a monastery caring for the sick, poor and destitute.
In 1709, Robert Clayton rebuilt the hospital and added a chapel. Rules were enforced that patients should attend a daily service and not swear or smoke. They were also required to segregate themselves into different wards – job, Naples and Nazareth for men and Magdalen and Susannah for women – and they were punished for not doing so with food.
Florence Nightingale was a key figure in the design of the new buildings and she encouraged full-height windows that allowed light into wards without creating drafts. She also introduced the concept of a nursing school at St Thomas’s.
2. University College Hospital
University College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides first-class acute and specialist services across six hospitals in central London. It also has a number of research centres and partnerships, including Oriel, a world-leading centre for eye health in partnership with Moorfields Eye Charity and UCL. It is also home to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, a centre of excellence for brain disorders.
Its renowned specialists offer a range of medical, surgical and complementary therapies. The hospital offers services such as complementary cancer treatments, acupuncture, homeopathy, sleep diagnostics and allergy day care. It also offers courses for health professionals on a variety of complementary medicine topics.
The hospital is situated on Euston Road in the Fitzrovia area of central London and is within walking distance of Warren Street and Euston Square tube stations. It has 665 beds and 12 operating theatres. It is a teaching hospital and is close to the main campus of University College London. It is one of the largest NHS Trusts and balances highly rated specialist services with acute hospital services to a population of over 500,000 in the boroughs of Camden, Islington, Westminster, Barnet and Enfield.
3. Royal Brompton & Harefield
The largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK, Royal Brompton & Harefield hospital is known internationally for its standard of care. Private patients from all over the world visit the hospitals to benefit from its expertise and innovation in the fields of cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases and transplantation.
It has a long history of advancing healthcare and pioneering treatments. Some of its highlights include establishing Europe’s first adult cystic fibrosis clinic in 1965 and setting up one of the most experienced heart and lung transplant units in the UK.
The hospitals are located in Chelsea, an affluent area of west London known for its upmarket shops and parks. It has excellent transport links with Sloane Square and South Kensington tube stations, buses and overground rail services. The staff have the right skills, training and experience to protect patients from avoidable harm and abuse. They work well together and know what to do if things go wrong.
4. The Walton Centre for Neurology & Neurosurgery
Its specialist staff offer a world class service in diagnosing and treating injuries and illnesses that affect the brain, spine and peripheral nerves and muscles. It also supports people who have long term neurological conditions.
This specialist hospital is located in the Fazakerley area of Liverpool. It serves a large catchment area including Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and West Lancashire and sometimes further afield.
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust has a highly specialized team of consultants, nurses, therapists and scientists who are focused on providing exceptional care to their patients. Their state-of-the-art facilities include MRI scanners that allow them to make accurate diagnoses and perform complex surgical procedures.
The Walton Centre has strong links with local communities and is a well-known hospital in north Liverpool. It is a hospital that the whole community recognizes and respects. Its future is, unfortunately, being threatened by a sham exercise in rationalization that has the intention of closing the door to many services at the Walton Centre. That is because the accountants who now run the health service do not think that a hospital like this can survive without certain specialties.
5. The Royal London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital is an internationally renowned teaching hospital and part of the Barts Health NHS Trust. It is home to one of the largest children’s hospitals in England, one of London’s most advanced emergency and trauma care centres, a hyper-acute stroke unit, and an advanced cancer centre.
The hospital is also a leading organ donor site in the UK. In partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant, it has donated more than 3,000 organs since its inception.
In recent years, the hospital has focused on expanding its integrated medicine services. This includes the NHS’s first complementary cancer service, the UK’s first department of homeopathic podiatry and a non-drug treatment for insomnia.
Founded in 1740 as the London Infirmary, it moved to Prescot Street in 1741 and then to its present site in Whitechapel in 1757. The hospital’s arms feature three ostrich feathers in chief, to represent the Feathers Tavern at Cheapside, where the founders of the hospital met to discuss their proposals for a charitable institution. A red cross on a white background is symbolic of medical institutions and the colours of the City of London.