From Bedlam to SLaM: a timeline

18 October 2013

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1247

Bethlem founded

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) can trace its roots back to 1247 when the Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem was established in Bishopsgate on the site which is now home to Liverpool Street Station. The priory is the earliest form of what eventually became Bethlem Hospital. The names 'Bethlem’ and 'Bedlam', by which it became known, are variants of Bethlehem.

 

1360

A refuge for the sick and infirm

By the mid-14th century the priory was being used as a refuge for the sick and infirm. Towards the end of the century, people with mental illness were accommodated in the hospital for the first time.

 

1403

A hospital for the ‘insane’

It was in 1403 that Bethlem was first referred to as a hospital for 'insane' patients and since then it has had a continuous history of caring for people with mental health issues.

 

1547

Control by the City of London

In 1547 King Henry VIII granted the 'custody, order and government' of the hospital of Bethlem to the City of London. Medical treatment for insanity was largely ineffective throughout this time, though some patients did recover.

 

1666

The great fire of London

The great fire of London swept through the city of London, from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666. Soon after the fire, it was decided that Bethlem should be rebuilt about half a mile to the west at Moorfields.

 

1676

The new Bethlem

Bethlem was re-sited in 1676 to a magnificent baroque building in Moorfields. Rules were set out for the 'good government' of Bethlem. They included rule eight, which stated that "no Officer or Servant shall beat or abuse any Lunatick, nor offer any Force to them, but upon absolute Necessity, for the better governing of them."

 

 1733

Hogarth paints 'Bedlam'

In 1733, William Hogarth painted 'Bedlam', the last scene in his 'Rake's Progress'. A Rake's Progress is a series of eight paintings which shows the decline and fall of Tom Rakewell, the spendthrift son of a rich merchant, who is imprisoned in the Fleet Prison and ultimately Bedlam.

 

1808

The airy and healthy situation

The County Asylums Act 1808 gave permissive powers to the Justices of each county to build asylums. The Act advised Justices to 'fix upon an Airy and Healthy Situation, with a good supply of water and which may afford a Probability of constant Medical Assistance.’

 

1815

St George's Fields

By 1815 Bethlem Hospital moved again, this time to St George's Fields, Southwark. Bethlem made changes, which included the abolition of all forms of 'mechanical restraint' and the promise of treatments underpinned by 'humane and enlightened principles.'

 

1908

Henry Maudsley

Dr Henry Maudsley, an eminent psychiatrist, offered London County Council £30,000 to establish a "fitly equipped hospital for mental diseases". His vision was for an urban centre for a hospital rather than an asylum. The location settled on for the hospital was Denmark Hill.

 

1915

Maudsley Hospital built

Construction of the Maudsley Hospital main building was authorised in October 1913 and completed two years later in 1915.  The hospital was then requisitioned for use by the War Office to deal with the military casualties of the First World War, including those suffering from ‘shell shock.’

 

1923

Maudsley Hospital opens

The Maudsley Hospital finally opened in February 1923 and offered treatment for both early and acute cases. In 1938 the Rockefeller Foundation made a substantial award to support research and education and the Maudsley has been an internationally renowned centre for research ever since.

 

1924

Institute of Psychiatry

The origins of the Institute of Psychiatry date back to 1924 when the Maudsley Hospital Medical School was established. It was described as "the main postgraduate school of mental medicine in England.”

 

1930

Bethlem in Beckenham

In 1930, the Bethlem Royal Hospital relocated to Beckenham, where it is still based today. It was designed to appeal to middle class patients with the means to pay for their care. A 'free list' was available to those who could not pay.

 

1961

The water tower speech

Minister of Health Enoch Powell's 'water tower' speech in 1961 marked the beginning of the end of the asylum and a move to community care.

 

1999

New NHS Trust formed

South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM) was formed following the reconfiguration of mental health services in south east London. The Trust was formed from the merger of three organisations: Bethlem and Maudsley, Lambeth Healthcare and Lewisham and Guy's NHS Trusts.

 

2009

King's Health Partners

SLaM became part of one of the UK's five Academic Health Science Centres, King's Health Partners - one of the five Academic Health Sciences Centres (AHSCs) in the UK. It is a partnership between SLaM, Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts and King’s College London.

 

2011

In partnership with the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, SLaM was awarded increased funding of £49m over five years to support a new portfolio of experimental medicine and translational research.

 

2012

In March 2012, SLaM secured £4.7m to support experimental medicine facilities within a new Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility (CRF) based at King’s College Hospital. The CRF is specifically designed to support mental health and neurosciences clinical trials.