Located northwest of the intersection of McCowan Road and Lawrence Avenue East, the hospital opened in 1956 as the first in the former township of Scarborough.

In 2009, the Scarborough General Hospital opened a CA$72 million Emergency and Critical Care Centre in its new West Wing.

A Satellite Diagnostic Imaging department also opened in the West Wing, with the Greater Toronto Area's first Siemens YSIO DR-X-ray units that result in faster images and a more comfortable experience for both patients and technologists.

The hospital is also the first in the world to run two key diagnostic imaging systems (Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX 6.3.1 and Cardiovascular 7.7,) on an integrated platform—a major benefit for cardiac patients who can now get faster, more accurate diagnoses and treatment.

In one of three expansion options, the Scarborough General Hospital is considered to be shut down.