Buildings and Departments

Leicester Royal Infirmary Virtual Museum

Introduction
Since it opened in 1771, Leicester Infirmary has occupied a vital place at the heart of the local community, providing care from cradle to grave.

In the very first years of its operation, the Infirmary had just 40 beds and only a small number of staff. Common treatments at the time included blood letting, treatment with Mercury and Laudanum, amputation and the application of medicinal compresses. As well as supervising the nurses, our first Matron, Susannah Andrews made all of the hospital’s sheets and bread and was even put in charge of looking after a couple of pigs! In the early days of the infirmary our more able patients were expected to help look after other patients, clean the wards and wash and iron the linen. They were provided with a good and regular diet, far better than most would have had at home.

By the turn of the 20th Century, the infirmary had expanded considerably in to a large 300 bedded hospital. We had pioneered nurse training and the state registration of nurses as well as introducing new medical techniques and procedures. To recognise the contribution the infirmary was making to the health of its population, local MP (and later Prime Minister) Ramsay MacDonald petitioned King George V to grant the hospital Royal status. On 22nd June 1912, we were duly granted permission to use the Royal prefix and so the Leicester Infirmary became the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Since then we have continued to grow and to pioneer new treatments. We have helped to deliver many thousands of babies and provided medical and surgical care to generations of local people and to patients from further afield. In April 2000 Leicester’s three hospitals were merged to create the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. Today, as one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, we see over a million patients a year and employ over 10,000 people.