| Administrative history | In 1546/7 St Bartholomew's Hospital was refounded as a secular institution, and placed under the control of twelve unpaid governors elected from the Corporation of London (four Aldermen and eight Common Councillors). The most senior governor, frequently the Lord Mayor, was president of the Hospital. Next in seniority was the treasurer, responsible for overseeing the income and expenditure of the Hospital, and ultimately responsible for all paid staff. The other governors served as surveyors (looking after the hospital lands and properties), almoners (responsible for the admission, treatment and welfare of the patients) and scrutineers (with duties relating to gifts, legacies and bequests to the Hospital).
This system of governance of St Bartholomew's Hospital changed little until the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.
The Clerk was the main administrator of the Hospital; the post was originally combined with that of the Renter, who also had to write minutes of the meetings of the Governors and provide an index. A separate official was appointed to undertake these duties from the end of the sixteenth century, who was also responsible for carrying out certain instructions from the Governors, such as collecting evidence for legal cases. This post increased in importance over the following centuries, and the Clerk to the Governors was the main executive officer of the hospital until the post was abolished on 1 April 1974. |