Unlucky hospital bed number 13  conspicuous by its absence

By Stian Alexander
Updated:

Ward managers at a London hospital are scrapping bed number 13 as patients worry it will be an unlucky omen.

Bosses at St Thomas' Hospital in south London decided to number beds on the Nightingale Ward and Anne Ward from 12-14, leaving the number 13 out altogether.

Superstitious chiefs at the 840-capacity hospital decided that patients being given the bed might 'consider it an unlucky omen' and cause them 'unnecessary worry'.

ST THOMAS' HOSPITAL IN LONDON, exterior,

Patient concern: St Thomas' hospital has started to introduce wards without the unlucky number 13 bed to remove possible patient worry

The number 13 is closely associated with bad luck in many countries throughout the world and in 1911 psychologists decided it was a genuine phobia, giving it the name Triskaidekaphobia.

The origin of the fears is disputed, but many associate the phobia with Judas, the 13th disciple to sit down at the Last Supper, and who subsequently betrayed Jesus.

Patient Sandra Bentes, 49, said she was relieved whenever she went to the hospital and was given any bed that was not number 13.

Mrs Bentes, of Streatham, south London, said: 'I've always been relieved when I'm in hospital when I didn't get bed number 13.

'I know it's superstitious, but I'd rather have luck on my side than chance it.'

Another patient, who did not want to be named, said:

'I think it's all a load of superstitious nonsense to be honest, but then I've never been put in a number 13 bed.

'If is makes patients more comfortable then I suppose it's fair enough.' 

A source at the hospital said: 'Some managers consider the number 13 an unlucky omen and the last thing they want to do is cause any patients unnecessary stress by putting them in a bed with 13 on it.'

A spokesman for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trusts confirmed that, although there was no official policy on leaving out the number 13, it was up to individual managers how they numbered the beds.

He said: 'We have no official policy, but we do know that some individual managers have chosen to take that number out and that's up to them.' 

St Thomas' is one of the UK's most famous hospitals and was set up in the 12th century and was worked in by legendary nurse Florence Nightingale in the 19th century.

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