[1] The hospital is the central part of Imperial College London Chelsea and Westminster Campus, and plays an integral role in teaching students and conducting medical research at Imperial College London.

[2] The first hospital on the site was conceived in 1876 and officially opened as the St George's Union Infirmary in February 1878.

[10] The hospital's HIV/GUM Clinical Directorate was established in April 1991, and is today the largest specialist HIV unit in Europe,[11] and enjoys a worldwide reputation as a centre of excellence in both the care of HIV-positive patients and a wide range of associated clinical research.

[12][13] The St Stephen's Centre is also home to the core laboratory of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

Patients are able to listen to the hospital radio on Channel 6 on their hospedia bedside unit, or online at www.radiocw.org.