Belfast City Hospital

Belfast City Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a large hospital with 900 beds. It is a modern teaching hospital that helps people in the area and also offers special care for serious illnesses like cancer and kidney problems. The hospital has a tall orange tower that stands out in the Belfast skyline. This tower is the third tallest building that people can live or work in all of Northern Ireland, after Windsor House and Obel Tower, both also in Belfast.

The hospital is run by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and is the biggest general hospital in the United Kingdom. During the global coronavirus pandemic in April 2020, the hospital’s tower was set aside to help treat people who were very sick with the virus, as part of the UK’s Nightingale Hospitals plan.

History

The Belfast City Hospital started from the Belfast Union Workhouse and infirmary, opened in 1841. It was built to help poor people who could not get medical care.

Over time, the hospital grew to care for many sick people, including those with serious illnesses like cholera and smallpox. In the late 1800s, nursing training began, and a maternity unit was created.

In 1986, a tall orange tower was built. Later, special cancer services were added. The hospital continues to be an important place for healthcare in Belfast.

Teaching

The hospital helps medical students from Queen's University Belfast learn by working with real patients.

COVID-19 pandemic

In April 2020, because of the global coronavirus pandemic, the tower block became one of the UK's Nightingale Hospitals. These hospitals were set up to help treat people who were very sick during that time.