It is one of the largest NHS trusts in England[2] and together with Imperial College London forms an academic health science centre.

[4] In July 2008, Imperial College Healthcare announced that it would be launching a pilot scheme to reward medical teams with bonuses for successful operations.

[7] In November 2009, a team led by Professor Paul Abel of Imperial College Healthcare performed the first removal of a rectal cancer using ultrasound.

The Trust featured in the debut series of Hospital on BBC Two in 2017, and was selected as a global digital exemplar for acute care in partnership with Chelsea and Westminster the same year.

[9] In 2019, a patient achieved a sustained remission from HIV-1 after ceasing antiretroviral treatment—becoming only the second in the world to do—after being treated with a stem cell transplant at Hammersmith Hospital.

[22] In April 2020, over 1,000 Sodexo cleaners, caterers and porters working at the Trust's five hospitals were made NHS employees after months of campaigning by UVW union.

[23] Ten days of strike action and protests at St. Mary's Hospital in October and November 2019 led to negotiations and the non-renewal of Sodexo's contract.

The trust had already decided to spend an extra £4 million a year bringing hotel services staff up to the London living wage of £10.55 an hour.

[31] In 2016, Imperial College Healthcare set up a project with DeepMind to develop new clinical mobile apps linked to electronic patient records.

[32] In 2018, researchers led by Professor George Hanna at St Mary's Hospital found that a simple breath test has been able to detect pancreatic cancer.

[33] Imperial College Healthcare is one of the few NHS Trusts in England to have a Public Health Directorate (headed by Professor Azeem Majeed).

[34] At the end of March 2017, the trust was confirmed as one of four additional NHS Global Digital Exemplars; joining the twelve announced in September 2016.