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Cof E will sell its historic hospital
Fewer clergy were treated at St Luke’s
THE Church of England has decided to sell off St Luke’s Hospital, despite having spent £3million on a refurbishment.
The Fitzroy Square hospital’s trustees are to concentrate on meeting the healthcare needs of clergy “closer to their parishes”, the Church Times reveals.
The hospital, a charity founded in 1892, celebrated its centenary in its current location with a service at St Paul’s Cathedral last year.
The 16-bed hospital provides exclusive free treatment to Anglican clergy, their spouses, widows, widowers, and children, members of religious orders, missionaries, licensed theological students and their families.
It has 224 honorary consultants, who come from all faiths, and who operate without charge. It also relies on voluntary donations.
Chairman of trustees, Patrick Mitford-Slade, said the hospital needs to “stay relevant” and change the way it operates.
He added: “But there is also a financial imperative for changing. Running a small central London hospital for the benefit of very few clergy is becoming increasingly expensive, and no longer offers value for money for our donors.
“Thanks to the shortage of private hospital beds in central London, we can now get a good return on the investment we have made in modernising the hospital in recent years, and be in a position to do a better job delivering healthcare to the clergy on a local basis.”
Hospital chief executive Merrick Willis said it needed to focus on the “best interests of the clergy, and not bricks and mortar in London”.
Most clergy undergo day surgery at St Luke’s, but Mr Willis said the NHS is able to offer this more quickly now, without the inconvenience of clergy having to travel to London.
He said St Luke’s was limited in the range of operations it could offer, as it did not have high-dependency or intensive care facilities.
Mr Willis said: “Since we reopened last year, the number of clergy coming through was not anywhere near as many as before.”
He added: “I’m sure a lot of people will be sad, but the message has to be the aim is to do something more appropriate and better in the future.”
Mr Willis said he hopes to facilitate the continued employment of the hospital’s 40 staff, and confirmed that an exclusivity agreement had been signed with the London Clinic, which also has charitable status.
This makes it the preferred bidder for the sale. |
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