The hospital was founded by
Samuel Whitbread, the brewer, who had left £8,000 in his will for the purpose of establishing a hospital. The planning committee for the hospital, which included the
Duke of Bedford,
Lord John Russell and the brewer's son, also
Samuel Whitbread made swift progress and the hospital opened in 1803. Manufactured by W.B. Simpson and Co. they were given in commemoration of
Queen Victoria's
Diamond Jubilee. In 2019 a proposal by the hospital to move the tiles to a museum because of concerns about hygiene was rejected by the Bedford Council. The twenty tiles remain on display in the hospital. Major recent developments have included the Cygnet Wing, which provides paediatric, maternity and gynaecology and which was opened by
the Queen in 1996. In 2001, it was reported in the local press that bodies were being stored on the floor of the chapel of rest, while part of the hospital's mortuary was undergoing maintenance. An internal inquiry found, that although the bodies were tampered with before the photographs were taken, the hospital's management was at fault, and the chief executive subsequently resigned. The Primrose Centre for cancer patients was completed in 2003, the redevelopment of the pathology services unit was completed in 2006, a surgical assessment unit was completed in 2012 and an endoscopy unit was completed in 2015. The Weller Wing, in which
East London NHS Foundation Trust had provided
psychiatric services, closed early in 2017. In September 2017 plans were announced to merge the Bedford Hospital NHS Trust with
Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. ==Services==