UCH will spend millions on emergency care as it struggles to cope with a rise in elderly patients and those with minor injuries.
Soaring demand for emergency care has forced a hospital that was built just 10 years ago to double the size of its A&E.
The world-renowned University College Hospital in London opened in October 2005 with capacity to deal with 65,000 emergency patients a year.
But staff are now seeing more than 130,000 a year and there is no sign of demand tailing off.
The hospital is spending £19m to extend the unit, with dozens of extra cubicles, x-ray machines and another CT body scanner.
Dr Jonathan Fielden, the medical director responsible for the hospital's A&E, told Sky News: "We are here 24/7. Our lights are always on.
"There is no way of getting away from it, we need a larger department to cope with the numbers."
Rising longevity now means that all hospitals are seeing more frail elderly patients with acute problems. But there has also been a sharp rise in patients with more trivial complaints that could be seen by a GP.
Robert Naylor, Chief Executive of the hospital, said there had been a cultural shift over the last decade with people now expecting to shop, bank and get healthcare whenever they want it.
He said: "Healthcare has had to move into the 21st Century.
"Today's society demands immediate access and the four hour standard of treatment in A&E has accelerated that thinking.
"People can get their diagnosis and treatment on the spot within a guaranteed four hour period."
According to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine an extra 400,000 people went to A&E last year in England alone.
But Dr Clifford Mann, President of the college, said the tariff - the amount hospitals are paid for emergency cases - doesn't cover their costs.
He said: "Every hospital in the UK actually loses money on its A&E.
"That's why most hospitals have failed to keep pace with rising demand - investing in a loss-making part of your enterprise has never been a good business model.
"NHS England is currently drawing up a new blueprint of urgent medical services to ease the pressure on hospitals. Patients will be directed towards GP care, pharmacists and other community services."
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