St. Anthony’s is one of a small number of independent charitable hospitals.
Since its foundation by the Daughters of the Cross in 1904, it has established a reputation for medical excellence combined with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere that puts patients at their ease.
At 91 beds, it is larger than the average private hospital and has a higher than normal level of medical staffing including a resident anaesthetist and resident cardiac surgeon in addition to the general resident medical officers. It is also the only independent hospital in its area able to provide full intensive care.
History Of St Anthonys Hospital
** The History of St Anthony's **
One hundred years ago, North Cheam House stood in open countryside. Purchased by the Daughters of the Cross for £4625, it became St Anthony’s Hospital. Thus began a history of vital service to the community which, with the more recent addition of St Raphael’s Hospice, continues to this day.
By 1914 the Sisters had replaced the original house, with an imposing building of three storeys and 163 foot frontage of polished brick.
With the founding of the National Health Service in 1948, patients paying according to their means gave way to mainly NHS-financed patients at St. Anthony’s. The unexpected ending of St. Anthony’s NHS contract in the early 1970s coincided with the need to rebuild yet again. This resulted in a highly innovative hospital, designed to further the principles of patient centred care which the Sisters had always advocated. With a speciality in cardiac surgery, the third St Anthony’s set ever new standards in patient care, that spread its reputation far beyond the local area.
The Sisters’ primary objective has always been to provide care to the local community – and 1987 saw the establishment of St Raphael’s Hospice. A beautiful building standing in the grounds of St Anthony’s, its special care and services were to be provided totally free of charge to all those in need. Extended by the Sisters in 1997, St. Raphael’s plays a vital part in the provision of palliative care to local patients and their families – and also in the specialist training of nurses and doctors.
