History of St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney in Timeline

St Vincent's Hospital, located in Darlinghurst, Sydney, is a prominent tertiary referral hospital and research facility. While funded and integrated within the New South Wales public health system, it is operated by St Vincent's Health Australia. The hospital maintains affiliations with both the University of Tasmania College of Health and Medicine and the University of New South Wales Medical School, emphasizing its commitment to education and research.

1923: Affiliation with the University of Sydney

In 1923, St Vincent's Hospital became affiliated with the University of Sydney.

October 1968: First Australian Heart Transplant

In October 1968, St Vincent's Hospital performed the first Australian heart transplant, led by Harry Windsor, on 57-year-old Richard Pye, who survived for 45 days.

1968: Changed Affiliation to the University of New South Wales

In 1968, St Vincent's Hospital changed its affiliation from the University of Sydney to the University of New South Wales.

October 1982: First AIDS Diagnosis

In October 1982, Dr. Ron Penny and Dr. David Cooper are credited with diagnosing the first patient with AIDS in Australia at St Vincent's Hospital.

1982: First Successful Cardiac Transplant

In 1982, Victor Chang conducted the first successful cardiac transplant at St Vincent's Hospital.

1983: Development of Specialised Emergency Department

In 1983, St Vincent's Hospital was the first hospital in Australia to develop a specialised emergency department (ED) under Dr. Gordian Fulde.

April 1984: First Female Heart Transplant

On April 7, 1984, Fiona Coote became Australia's youngest and first female heart transplant recipient at St Vincent's Hospital.

1984: Founding of Australasian College for Emergency Medicine

In 1984, Dr. Gordian Fulde, Director of Emergency at St Vincent's, pioneered the development of specialised emergency medicine in Australia at St Vincent's ED and founded the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

1986: First Needle Exchange Program

In 1986, St Vincent's Hospital instituted Australia's first needle exchange program in an effort to stem the spread of HIV among IV drug users.

1996: Joined Sisters of Charity Health Service

In 1996, St Vincent's Hospital joined the Sisters of Charity Health Service, becoming part of Australia's largest not-for-profit health care provider.

2001: Extensive Upgrade

In 2001, St Vincent's Hospital underwent an extensive upgrade.

2004: Bed Closures Due to Funding

In 2004, St Vincent's Hospital was forced to close beds due to inadequate government funding.

2006: Construction of Research and Biotechnology Precinct

In 2006, building work commenced on Stage 1 of the St Vincent's Research and Biotechnology Precinct, a joint partnership between the hospital, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

March 2007: Closure of Surgical Ward

From January to March 2007, St Vincent's Hospital was forced to close an entire surgical ward in order to cut costs.

November 2007: Closure of Immunology Ward

On November 24, 2007, St Vincent's Hospital announced the closure of its immunology ward due to advances in HIV treatment reducing the need for inpatient care, with patients to be admitted to an oncology ward instead.

2008: Construction of New Mental Health Facility

In 2008, building work commenced on a new facility within the grounds of St Vincent's Hospital to encompass a mental health, drug and alcohol, and community health unit.

2008: Applied Medical Research Programs

Since 2008, the St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research has operated a number of research programs pertaining to immunology and cell biology, relevant to diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and inflammatory disease, in collaboration with the University of New South Wales.

2009: Transfer of Stewardship

In 2009, the Sisters of Charity transferred the stewardship of St Vincent's Health Australia to the Trustees of Mary Aikenhead Ministries.

2012: Kings Cross ER: St Vincent's Hospital TV series

In 2012, St Vincent's ED featured in the Australian television series Kings Cross ER: St Vincent's Hospital.

2014: First Dead Heart Transplant

In 2014, St Vincent's Hospital performed the world's first dead (donation after circulatory death [DCD]) heart transplant on 57-year-old Michelle Gribilar, who had congenital heart failure.

2015: Kings Cross ER: St Vincent's Hospital TV series

In 2015, St Vincent's ED featured in the Australian television series Kings Cross ER: St Vincent's Hospital.

2016: Gordian Fulde's Directorship Ends

In 2016, Dr. Gordian Fulde ended his term as Director of Emergency at St Vincent's, making him the longest-serving director of an Australian ED.

2016: Under-dosing Chemotherapy Patients

In 2016, a government review found that St Vincent's Hospital made “factual errors” and “key omissions” after it was revealed that 78 patients were under-dosed with the chemotherapy drug carboplatin.

2017: Report on Chemotherapy Dosing Matter

In 2017, a leaked parliamentary committee report investigating the chemotherapy dosing matter at St Vincent's Hospital could not discount the possibility of a cover-up, which the hospital rejected.

2018: Lotto Winner Donation

In 2018, a five-time Lotto winner donated $50,000 to St Vincent's Hospital's cardiac services.

June 2020: New Indigenous Flexi-Clinic

In June 2020, St Vincent's Hospital implemented a new Indigenous Flexi-Clinic aimed at improving the care of Aboriginal patients.

2020: Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre Implementation

In 2020, St Vincent's emergency department was the first in Australia to implement a Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC) to address the mental health and drug-related issues in the inner suburbs of Sydney.

July 2021: Release of COVID-19 ICU Footage

In July 2021, footage of patients in St Vincent's Hospital's intensive care unit infected with COVID-19 was released publicly, and the NSW Government used a photograph of an infected patient as part of its campaign to urge the public to stay home to curb the spread of the Delta variant.

December 2021: Incorrect COVID-19 Test Results

On December 26, 2021, SydPath (St Vincent's Pathology) admitted that more than 400 COVID-19 positive people were incorrectly notified that their PCR test results were negative. Two days later, another 486 people who were issued a negative COVID-19 test result by SydPath have actually tested positive for the virus.

April 2024: Healthcare Operations

As of April 2024, St Vincent's Healthcare operates three public hospitals and 10 private hospitals. The public hospitals are St Vincent's Sydney, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, and Sacred Heart Health Service.