Newham - our history
Opening of the hospital
Newham General Hospital was opened in 1983 by HM The Queen on 14 December 1983. It replaced Queen Mary's Hospital for the East End in Stratford and East Ham Memorial Hospital,
In 1985 maternity services were centralised at Newham General with the transfer of services from the old Newham Maternity Hospital (previously known as Forest Gate Maternity Hospital). A further phase of the hospital, including additional maternity beds, a special care baby unit, a rehabilitation department and an academic centre was opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in 1986. With the closure of St Andrew's Hospital in Bromley-by-Bow in the early 2000s, hospital services for the population of the London Borough of Newham were centralised at Newham General Hospital.
Newham University Hospital
Hospital management transferred in April 1991 from Newham Health Authority to Newham Healthcare NHS Trust, later known as Newham University Hospital NHS Trust. The Gateway Surgical Centre was opened in 2005 by Patricia Hewitt MP, then Secretary of State for Health, adding 39 new beds, a new renal unit and three new operating theatres to the hospital.
Image: The new Gateway Centre on the day of opening, with the 'Equity' sculpture commissioned for the front entrance area
In April 2012, Newham Hospital joined with St Bartholomew's, the Royal London, Mile End and Whipps Cross Hospitals, to form the Barts Health NHS Trust group. Today, Newham Hospital cares for one of the most diverse populations in England.
To find out more about the history of our hospitals, you can make an appointment to visit Barts Health NHS Trust Archives.