University Hospital
Lewisham

We have been Lewisham's hospital for more than 100 years, and are proud to be at the heart of our local community. Everyone at the hospital is committed to the following standards:

Quality Care

We expect all our healthcare staff to provide the highest standards of care for our patients. And this means getting the fundamentals right too. From the moment they enter our hospital, all patients are treated with dignity and respect as well as receiving the best possible care. Positive feedback in independent patient surveys shows how much our patients value this.

Kathy Harman, Surgical Matron: The value of matrons is that they give a focus to nursing on the wards, especially in essential areas like hygiene.

A clean and safe environment

We have won national recognition for our measures to improve infection control and hygiene standards. We are fully committed to reducing the rates of MRSA and other infectious diseases which may affect our hospital. This includes a greater emphasis on traditional Matron-led ward cleaning, combined with innovative cleaning methods. Lewisham Hospital also pioneered the now nationally adopted Clean your Hands campaign to encourage universal hand cleaning by staff and patients on entry and exit to wards, and after contact with patients. We are the only hospital to have introduced universal screening of patients for infection prior to being admitted to hospital from A&E.

Mina Bernardi, Cleaner, Surgical Ward A2: As a cleaner, I make sure I miss nothing, and that includes under the beds and the patients' lockers. The first thing I do when I get here in the morning is make sure the ward kitchen is clean.

Dedicated treatment

Our hospital has one of the busiest emergency services in London, including one of the few separate children's A&E units in the country. As well as the services you would expect in a district general hospital, Lewisham is a leading London teaching hospital well regarded for its medical innovation and services. Lewisham offers specialist services for South East London, for example, paediatric surgery, cystic fibrosis treatment and Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) services.

Dr Nigel Harrison, Consultant in Emergency Medicine: We are a close-knit team and know the patients from their pre-assessment. Just to be able to say hello and remember a patient's name means so much to them.

A truly local service

Our long history at the heart of Lewisham, on the high street, means that the hospital remains closely linked to the community it serves. Our hospital is unique in that the vast majority of its workers live in the borough. We all use the hospital, know the patients that we treat, and never lose sight of why we are here. Lewisham Hospital believes very strongly in the spirit of public service, with nearly all of its services, including cleaning, portering and catering, all provided in-house by the hospital.

Reg Selby, former patient: I think Lewisham Hospital is a great community hospital that has provided an excellent service to the people of Lewisham for years.

Teaching Excellence

Our hospital became a teaching hospital in its own right, with University status, in 1997. Lewisham prides itself on the significant role we play in education and research, offering staff one of the most extensive ranges of courses at any hospital. University Hospital Lewisham is a major campus for medical and nursing students, and students enjoy the benefits of learning at a highly rated medical institution with a friendly local atmosphere.

Dr Ban Haider, Paediatric House Officer: It can be intimidating for junior doctors at first, but at Lewisham, the nurses, doctors and whole care team are very friendly and make you feel at ease in a way that isn't the case at all training hospitals.

Read more about the Trust and the work it is doing in all these areas in the My Hospital Trust Brochure (711KB PDF file).

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