The London Clinic

The London Clinic is a private healthcare organisation and registered charity[1] based on the corner of Devonshire Place and Marylebone Road in central London. According to HealthInvestor, it is one of England's largest private hospitals.[2]

The London Clinic
The London Clinic
Location in Westminster
Geography
Location	London, W1 United Kingdom
Coordinates
Organisation
Care system	Private
History
Opened	1932
Links
Website	www.thelondonclinic.co.uk

History

The London Clinic was established by a group of Harley Street doctors; the building was designed by Charles Henry Biddulph-Pinchard[3] and officially opened by the Duchess of York in 1932.[4]

In 2005, The London Clinic became the first hospital in the UK to trial and offer robotic surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System, allowing specialist consultants to perform complex procedures.[5]

The Queen opened a new cancer centre, built at a cost of £80 million, at the London Clinic in April 2010.[6]

After an inspection in December 2014 by the Food Standards Agency the organisation was given only two stars - the only hospital in London to perform so poorly[7] - but the poor standard of hygiene was addressed and, after a further inspection in June 2015, the Clinic was awarded five stars.[8]

In November 2015 it secured a £65 million revolving credit facility from HSBC which was used to increase theatre capacity, boost technology investment and renovate the radiology and intensive care facilities.[9]

The Duchess of Cornwall visited the Clinic in February 2017.[10] In November 2017 the Care Quality Commission described the design of the new intensive care unit and the annual multi-faith memorial service, which contributes to end of life services, as areas of "outstanding practice".[11]

The clinic opened a specialist centre for robotic surgery in 2019.[12]

Notable patients

• Clement Attlee: The Leader of the Opposition was admitted to the clinic for a prostatectomy in September 1939.[13]
• David Cameron: The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was born in clinic at October 1966.[14]
• Emma Walton Hamilton: The British children's book author and eldest daughter of English actress Julie Andrews was born in clinic on November 1962.[15]
• John F. Kennedy: The American congressman was diagnosed with Addison's disease at the clinic in September 1947.[16]
• Sir Anthony Eden: The Foreign Secretary went into the London Clinic for a cholecystectomy in April 1953.[17]
• Adnan Menderes: The Prime Minister of Turkey recovered in the London Clinic after being involved in an air crash in February 1959.[18]
• Elizabeth Taylor: In January 1963, the actress underwent an operation on her knee at the clinic.[19]
• Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon: The Queen's younger sister had an operation to remove a benign skin lesion in the clinic in January 1980.[20]
• Augusto Pinochet: It was at the London Clinic that General Augusto Pinochet, the former dictator of Chile, was arrested in October 1998 for crimes against humanity on the basis of an international arrest warrant.[21][22]
• Wendy Richard: The actress died at the clinic on 26 February 2009 aged 65, where she was being treated for breast cancer.[23][24]
• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: The Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to the clinic for 'abdominal investigations' in June 2013.[25]
• Cecil Parkinson: The former Conservative Party chairman and cabinet minister died at the clinic on 22 January 2016 aged 84, where he was being treated for cancer of the colon.[26]

Facilities

The hospital comprises 234 beds and 10 theatres (including a hybrid theatre).[27] There are 750 members of clinical staff, and some student nurses in training.[28]

About 15% of its earnings come from overseas patients.[29]

See also

• List of hospitals in England

References

1. "Charity Commission overview of The London Clinic". UK Charity Commission. UK Government. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
2. "Simon Reiter joins The London Clinic". HealthInvestor. 31 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
3. "London Clinic and Nursing Home, Marylebone Road, London: the Devonshire Place entrance hall". RIBA. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
4. "The London Clinic and Nursing Home". British Medical Journal. NCBI. 1 (3712): 396–7. 1932. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.3712.396. PMC 2520182. PMID 20776702.
5. "London hospital launches specialist centre for robotic surgery". Medtech News. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
6. "Queen meets nurses at new cancer centre". Nursing Times. 2 April 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
7. "Harley Street private hospital told to improve food hygiene after inspection". Evening Standard. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
8. "The London Clinic awarded 5 stars by Food Standards Agency". Food Standards Agency. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
9. "The London Clinic secures £65m credit facility". Health Investor. 5 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
10. "Court Circular". The Times. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
11. "The London Clinic" (PDF). Care Quality Commission. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
12. "The London Clinic launches specialist centre for robotics". Building Better Healthcare. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
13. "Major Clement Attlee (1883 - 1967), leader of the opposition, recuperates at the London Clinic after an operation". Getty Images. 19 July 1939. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
14. Ashcroft, Michael (2015). Call Me Dave: The Unauthorised Biography of David Cameron. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1849549141.
15. "Actress Julie Andrews of 'My Fair Lady' fame pictured in the London Clinic". Getty Images. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
16. Hoenig, Leonard J.; Burgdorf, Walter H. C. (1 May 2013). "President Kennedy's White House Tan". JAMA Dermatology. 149 (5): 597. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.3155. PMID 23677085.
17. Ch, The Rt Hon Lord Owen (6 May 2005). "The effect of Prime Minister Anthony Eden's illness on his decision-making during the Suez crisis". QJM: An International Journal of Medicine. 98 (6): 387–402. doi:10.1093/qjmed/hci071. PMID 15879438.
18. "Menderes fit again". British Pathé. 26 February 1959. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
19. "Elizabeth Taylor leaves the London Clinic". 23 January 1963. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
20. "Princess's history of ill health". BBC. 29 March 2001. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
21. "General Pinochet arrest: 20 years on, here's how it changed global justice". The Conversation. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
22. Tweedie, Neil (11 December 2006). "Pinochet, the friend of Britain who ruled his country by fear". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
23. "Actress Wendy Richard dies". BBC News. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
24. Patrick Foster (27 February 2009). "EastEnders actress Wendy Richard dies". The Times. London. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
25. "Prince Philip in hospital for operation on abdomen". BBC. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
26. "Lord Cecil Parkinson dies aged 84". Sky News. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
27. "The London Clinic Hybrid Theatre | Aukett Swanke". Archello. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
28. "Working as a matron doesn't make my job less hands-on with patients". Guardian. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
29. "Rich overseas patients help private hospitals beat recession". Financial Times. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.

External links

• The London Clinic website
• Charity Commission. The London Clinic, registered charity no. 211136.
• CQC inspection results for The London Clinic