St Bartholomew's Hospital

St Bartholomew's Hospital 
West Smithfield 
London 
EC1A 7BE

Switchboard: 020 3416 5000

If you are having trouble contacting the department you need to speak with you can also try our Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 0203 465 5919.

St Bartholomew's Hospital is located in the City, close to St Paul’s Cathedral. You can travel to hospital in a number of ways including on foot, by car, by bike or by public transport. Plan your journey using the Transport for London journey planner or through the travel information below.

TfL can offer advice on planning a journey using an accessible route and can provide a mentor to come with you for your first few journeys to help you gain confidence and become an independent traveller, to find out more complete TfL’s form online.

By bus

The following buses stop outside or close to the hospital: 4, 8, 17, 25 (24 hour service), 45 46, 56, 63, 76, 100, 153, 172, 242 (24 hour service) and 521 (Mondays to Fridays only) as well as night buses N8, N63 and N76. Low-floor wheelchair accessible buses run on all routes serving St Bartholomew's Hospital.

By tube

The closest underground stations are Barbican, Blackfriars, Farringdon, Moorgate and St Paul's. All stations are between 6 and 15 minutes’ walk from St Bartholomew's Hospital. Barbican and Farringdon are served by the Hammersmith and City line, Metropolitan line and Circle line. Blackfriars is served by the Circle line and District line. Moorgate is served by the Northern line. St Paul's is served by the Central Line.

Please be aware - From Thursday 9 August 2018 until mid-April 2019, planned works will be taking place at St Paul’s Underground Station. If you are travelling to St Bartholomew’s Hospital by London Underground, please plan ahead to make sure there is minimal disruption to your journey.

Planned works at St Pauls tube station 

• Weekday mornings (from 7.30am-10am) - Westbound trains will not stop. The station will be exit only for eastbound trains.
• Weekday evenings (from 4pm-7.30pm) - Westbound trains will not stop. There will be no step free access to eastbound trains.
• Friday / Saturday Night Tube – Station will be exit only.

If you are travelling to St Bartholomew’s Hospital on the central line during these times, please use Bank station instead. The hospital is a 10-15 minute walk from Bank.

Alternatively, please plan your journey using a different line. The hospital is a short 5-10 minute walk from Barbican, Blackfriars and Farringdon stations.

By train

The nearest National Rail stations are Blackfriars, Cannon Street, City Thameslink, Moorgate and Farringdon. All stations are between 6 and 15 minutes’ walk away.

Liverpool Street station is a 17 minute walk or a short tube, bus or taxi ride away.

Freedom passes

Older persons Freedom Pass- The Freedom Pass for older people allows free travel across London and free local bus journeys nationally.

Disabled persons Freedom Pass- The travel pass for disabled people allows free travel across London and free bus journeys nationally. You can use your pass on most journeys across London but there are a few exceptions to when and where you can use your card.

A 60+ London Oyster photocard- allows you to travel free on public transport in London from the age of 60 until you qualify for a Freedom Pass. To be eligible for a 60+ London Oyster photocard, you must: Live in a London borough and be aged 60 or over.

To find out more about the above listed Freedom passes visit the London Councils website.

By car or taxi

There is no public parking at the hospital itself so we encourage patients and visitors not to travel by car where this is possible. If you do need to drive the Rotunda Multi-Storey public car park is close to the hospital on West Smithfield, which is run by the City of London and NCP Aldersgate Multi-Storey is also located close to the site.

St Bartholomew's Hospital operates a one-way system and allows for drop off and pick up with 3 designated laybys, with a maximum stay of 10-minutes. You can access the drop off point from Giltspur Street and exit onto King Edward Street.

Infopoint help-points allow you to make free calls to taxi companies and public transport information lines to arrange your journey home. There is an infopoint located at the main entrance of the KGV building.

Blue badge holders

There are a small number of parking bays for drivers with Blue Badges on site, these are accessed via Giltspur Street. As a patient or visitor, you are probably aware of the redevelopment taking place at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Due to this redevelopment, several of the disabled parking bays located in Bartholomew Close have been taken out of use. We apologise for this inconvenience to our patients and visitors. Drivers who are registered disabled and have a blue badge can also check where to park at on the City of London Corporation website.

Congestion Charge Zone

St Bartholomew's Hospital is situated within the congestion charging zone. All patients/visitors who drive to the hospital are therefore required to pay the charge, although there are some exemptions and discounts. These include:

• those with disabilities who hold a blue badge
• residents living within the congestion charging zone
• drivers of alternative fuel vehicles

A full list of categories of drivers/vehicles eligible for exemptions and details of how to pay the charge can be found on the Transport for London congestion charging website. To qualify for an exemption or discount you must register with Transport for London.

Refunds of hospital transport costs 

You may be able to claim a refund for the cost of your transport to hospital through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) if you:

• are not eligible for patient transport services (PTS)
• cannot afford the cost of travelling to hospital
• cannot get a friend or relative to take you

Refer to Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) for more information on who is eligible, what the conditions are and how you can access the scheme.

By bike

We encourage visitors, staff and patients living nearby to cycle to the hospital if possible. Cycle parking facilities are available around the hospital.

There are several cycle routes in the area surrounding the hospital including Cycle Superhighway 6 (CS6), which runs between Elephant and Castle and King's Cross.

The hospital appears on TfL’s Local Cycling Guide 1, 7 and 14. You can order this guide for free by calling 0343 222 1234.

Santander cycle hire docking stations are available to hire and dock bikes from near St Bartholomew's Hospital at:

• West Smithfield Rotunda, Farringdon (outside the King Henry VIII Gate Entrance)
• King Edward Street, St Pauls (outside the King George V Building Entrance)

Overnight accommodation

James Hora Home at The Royal London Hospital provides accommodation for relatives and carers of critical care and surgical patients. The home can also offer accommodation to patients who may find it difficult to make regular visits to St  Bartholomew’s Hospital for treatment.

The home can accommodate up to 26 guests. Please speak to a member of the ward/clinic staff about a referral to stay in James Hora Home or contact them on 078 8055 3525. Please note that direct bookings cannot be made.

Chaplaincy

Chaplains of many faiths are available to speak to all patients, relatives and carers. Information about your religious preference will be passed to the chaplaincy. If you do not wish this to happen, please inform a member of staff.

Shops

A shop can be found on the ground floor of the King George V building, which sells toiletries, confectionery, newspapers and magazines, cards and hospital souvenirs. It opens Monday to Friday, 8.30am-4pm. The shop is run by volunteers from the Barts Guild. Opening hours may be subject to change.

Post box

A post box can be found at the Henry VIII Gate entrance.

Restaurant and coffee shop

There are a wide range of meals and snacks at the hospital restaurant on the first floor of the catering building, behind East Wing. The restaurant is open 11.45am-2.30pm and 4pm-8pm, Monday to Friday, and 7.30am-4pm at weekends.

Light refreshments are available from the coffee shop, open 7.30am-4pm, Monday to Friday, on the ground floor of the same building.

There are also takeaway coffee shops in the King George V building and on the ground floor of the West Wing.

St Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum and Archives 

Set in the historic North Wing of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, the museum tells the story of this renowned institution, celebrates its achievements and explains its place in history. The archives, also based in the North Wing, hold documents dating back to 1137, available for research.

Find out more about the museum and archives at St Bartholomew’s Hospital