Since its founding in the autumn of 1740, the Royal London Hospital, initially known as The London Infirmary and then The London Hospital, has been one of the most extensive charities of its kind. According to its website, its aim was “the relief of all sick and diseased persons and, in particular, manufacturers, seamen in the merchant service and their wives and children". As such, it gave much-needed aid to those who needed it the most, i.e. the lower-class individuals that often made their home in the Whitechapel area.
Originally, the hospital was run by a committee of "financial subscribers," but soon switched to a Court of Governors in which a house committee reported to. This would remain the same until 1948 with the founding of the NHS (National Health Service).
In 1990, in commemoration of its 250th anniversary, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II granted the hospital a royal title, thus making it the Royal London Hospital.
NHS Choices, NHS, https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/the-royal-london-our-history.