First private hospital opens in City of London
More than 200 consultants have gained practising privileges at the City of London’s first independent hospital opened by Nuffield Health today (Tuesday).
The 55-bed Nuffield Health at St Bartholomew’s Hospital provides a cardiac care pathway for private patients and specialises in cancer care, orthopaedics and women’s healthcare
Nuffield Health has invested £70m into its new hospital, built in collaboration with Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
The two organisations will share many of the consultants and surpluses generated from private patient activity will be invested back into NHS services.
Nuffield Health said consultants would benefit from the breadth of experts at the new hospital, with operating theatres featuring in-built live streaming capabilities.
Live operations can be streamed to the hospital’s boardroom, providing world-class training opportunities and clinical knowledge-sharing.
Patients will have access to Nuffield Health’s health and well-being facilities at the new medical, fitness and well-being centre in the Barbican, providing connected prehabilitation and rehabilitation and mental well-being services
Nuffield Health at St Bartholomew’s Hospital is split over two buildings and offers:
- 26 consultation rooms;
- An oncology day unit – including access to Maggie’s at St Bartholomew’s Hospital;
- Four advanced operating theatres;
- Seven specialist intensive care beds;
- Inpatient and outpatient physiotherapy services;
- Free community programmes, including joint pain and Covid-19 recovery;
- A full range of diagnostic services including an imaging suite and Siemens MAGNETOM Sola 1.5T MRI system with BioMatrix Technology;
- Connection to the new Nuffield Health Barbican Fitness and Wellbeing Centre state-of-the-art gym floor, athletic zone, 25m heated indoor swimming pool and spa facilities, dedicated prehab and rehab area and group exercise studios. The on-site medical centre provides expert physiotherapy, emotional well-being services, private GP and a travel clinic.
Cardiac care pathway
The hospital said it cardiac care pathway included cardiac rehabilitation, a unique feature in the independent sector.
Patients will be assigned one physiotherapist and one clinical nurse specialist to support them from diagnosis, through treatment and then onto rehabilitation with specialist fitness and dietary support, with the aim of improving their long-term health and preventing a future return to hospital.
The hospital is operationally independent, with Nuffield Health leasing and renovating the former pathology and residential staff quarters buildings.
Jonathan Canham
Jonathan Canham, business development director and interim hospital director, said: ‘We are delighted to open the doors to our new hospital, the first and only independent hospital in the City of London community.
‘Our new hospital – Nuffield Health’s 37th hospital in the UK – complements the internationally-leading cardiac care delivered at the neighbouring St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Our private patients will have access to many leading consultants within cardiac, cancer, orthopaedics, and women’s healthcare.
‘We are proud to be working with Barts Health NHS Trust. Both organisations have values of continually striving to help people throughout the different stages of their lives.
‘Our positive relationship has already seen 20 members of the Nuffield Health hospital team being seconded into Barts Health hospitals in late 2021 to support in intensive care, cardiac wards, and with COVID vaccination clinics.’
Dame Alwen Williams, Barts Health NHS Trust Group chief executive said: ‘Our partnership with Nuffield Health has breathed new life into our historic buildings, while surpluses generated from private patient activity will be invested back into NHS services, benefiting patients across east London.’
The hospital opened today for outpatients.