A brief history of hospital wards

The Lady with the Lamp: Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), famous for her pioneering nursing work during the Crimean War, depicted here in the hospital at Scutari, Turkey Photograph: Getty Images

Lithograph showing Nightingale talking with an army officer at Barracks Hospital in Scutari, 1856 Photograph: Corbis

Men's casual ward, West London Union, 1860 Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Visiting day in the accident ward at Guy's Hospital, London, 1887 Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Princess Ward at St George's Hospital, London, 1914 Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A geriatric ward in a Birmingham hospital, 1949 Photograph: Charles Hewitt/Hulton Archive

A woman's ward in a hospital at Vale of Leven near Loch Lomond, Scotland, 1955 Photograph: John Murray/Picture Post/Getty Images

A children's ward in the plastic surgery and burns centre of Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, 1959 Photograph: Chris Ware/Getty Images

St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London, 1979 Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Elderly care at a Manchester hospital in the 1970s Photograph: Don Mcphee

Bed, chair and bedside cabinet in a modern hospital ward Photograph: tfl

Newly designed patient chair from the Design Council Photograph: Design Council

Revamped hospital trolley Photograph: Design Council

Nurses try out the new blood pressure cuff Photograph: Design Council

Newly designed oximeter, used for measuring oxygenation levels in the blood Photograph: Design Council

A patient wipes pack clips onto a bed rail and encourages frequent use Photograph: Design Council

A newly designed cannula for introducing intravenous drugs into the body Photograph: Design Council

Staff compare the newly designed porter's chair (left) with the chair they currently use (right) Photograph: Design Council