Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn

Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England. It is located on the outskirts of King’s Lynn, to the eastern edge of the town. The catchment area of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital covers the West Norfolk area, South Lincolnshire and North East Cambridgeshire, an area of approximately 1500 km² and 250,000 people. The hospital has 515 beds and the Hospital employs around 2400 staff and has around 100 volunteers, making it the biggest single employer in the town. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust manages the hospital.NameLocally the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is often known as “The QE” or “the QEH”. It is occasionally (and incorrectly) referred to as “The Queen Elizabeth II Hospital” – however, the hospital is named after Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon), not the current Queen.HistoryIn February 1998 the Queen Mother was taken to the QE after she fractured her hip at nearby Sandringham, then later transferred to The King Edward VII Hospital in London. In January 1999, the Queen Mother was again taken to the QE Hospital after a series of nosebleeds, where they cauterised her nose. The Queen was taken to the QE Hospital in January 2003 after she had problems with her knee, where they performed a scan, and she was transferred to The King Edward VII Hospital in London for an operation to remove torn cartilage. During her Golden Jubilee in 2002, the Queen who usually spends accession day in private at Windsor Castle, opened the QE Hospital’s £1.2 million Macmillan Cancer Unit. Various members of the Royal Family have visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital over the years, including Princess Anne who opened the £5 million Critical Care Unit in 2005. On 1 February 2011, the hospital was awarded Foundation Trust status.