The hospital started as an infirmary which was added to the
West Bromwich union workhouse in 1884. Improvements were begun in 1925, when the infirmary then became a separate institution named Hallam Hospital. After the creation of the NHS and rebuilding in the 1970s, the hospital was renamed Sandwell General Hospital. A new £18m Emergency Services Centre opened on the Sandwell General Hospital campus in April 2005. This facility replaced the old A&E department destroyed by the largest fire in
National Health Service history. It incorporated a comprehensive A&E facility, Emergency Assessment Unit and Cardiac Care Unit. The model of care was developed with primary care to provide a fully integrated service. Emergency coronary care was transferred from the hospital to
City Hospital, Birmingham in 2015. The
accident and emergency department (A&E) at Sandwell Hospital closed on 6 October 2024, after being replaced by the A&E at the new
Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in
Smethwick. The Sandwell A&E is to be converted into an
urgent treatment centre. ==Facilities==