The site was originally selected for the construction of the new King's NortonUnion Workhouse. This was a place for the care ofthe poor and was one of many workhouses constructed throughout the country following the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. The new workhouse, which was designed by Edward Holmes, was built on the site and opened in 1870. A workhouse infirmary, which was designed by Daniel Arkell to a pavilion plan and entirely lit by electric light, was built by Thomas Rowbotham of Small Heath at a cost of £45,000 and opened in September 1897. It provided accommodation for about 300 patients.
Expansion
A new entrance block was completed in 1902 and a large nurses' home which became known as Woodlands was completed in 1908. The workhouse became a home for the chronically sick known as Selly Oak House and the home and the infirmary combined to join the National Health Service as Selly Oak Hospital in 1948. The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine was formed at the hospital and was officially opened by the Princess Royal in April 2001. In March 2007, the families of certain injured servicemen alleged that the hospital was not treating Iraq War veterans properly. There were also reports of servicemen being verbally abused in the hospital by members of the public opposed to the war. Following a visit to the hospital Jeremy Clarkson added to the criticism by writing to the NHS complaining that injured servicemen had no dedicated ward and that they were treated no differently from "a lad who got drunk and smashed his Citroën into a tree". A report published by the House ofCommons Defence Select Committee blamed the allegations against the hospital on a smear campaign and praised the clinical care provided to military patients.
Closure and site redevelopment
On 23 May 2010 a 'Service of Thanks' was held at Selly Oak Hospital to celebrate a century of caring and to share memories of the facility. After services had transferred to the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Selly Oak Hospital closed in October 2011. On 24 February 2015 the Trust announced that it had exchanged contracts with Persimmon for the sale of the site with outline planning permission for 650 homes.
Notable staff
Geoffrey Gillam FRCP was a consultant cardiologist at the hospital.
Notable patients
Those reported to have died at the hospital include:
