Guild of St Bartholomew's Hospital

The Guild of St Bartholomew's Hospital was established in 1911, with the objective of providing for the needs and comfort of the patients and staff. At this time it was called 'The Women's Guild' and had 368 members. In the years before 1948, the Guild gave financial support towards the salaries of the four Out-patient Almoners. They also provided voluntary workers and financial help for 'necessitous cases' amounting to £100 a year. During the Second World War the Guild opened a small shop called 'Bart's Bazaar' and mebers provided clothing, household goods, comfort and tea for those people bombed out of their homes in the City. After the war the Guild took over the supplying and running of the Childrens' Library, and in 1946 the trolley service began. This enabled patients to do a little shopping whilst in bed and proved to be of considerable psychological benefit to them. In 1960 the Guild opened a flower shop and in 1972 they established a shop sellng a range of goods tailored to the needs of patients and staff. In 1979 the word 'Women's' was dropped from the name of the Guild and for the first time men were invited to become members. In 1980 the Guild raised sufficient funds to provide six beds for the new Intensive Care Unit, at a cost of £1500 per bed.