Mildmay Hospital

A history of compassionate, faith-driven care on the margins

Geoff Coleman (Chief Executive of Mildmay Hospital) and Miklos Kiss (Fundraising and Communications Manager at Mildmay Hospital) share the story of Mildmay, a Christian hospital in London that, in responding to changing health crises around it, has shown a consistent witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ for over 160 years.

Founded in response to desperate public health needs and consistently grounded in Christian compassion and service, Mildmay Hospital continues, to this day, to care for people on the margins of society. For over 160 years, this charitable institution has served as a living witness to the gospel in action: through radical acts of mercy, healing, and profound compassion, especially for those often overlooked or stigmatised. Though it no longer bears the word ‘mission’ in its name, Mildmay’s ethos remains firmly rooted in its Christian origins and values. As we celebrate the fortieth anniversary of our re-founding as a charity, we continue to serve not only as a hospital but also as a living expression of faith through expert healthcare.

foundations in faith

The story of Mildmay begins in the mid-19th century with The Revd William Pennefather, a pastor known for his vision of united Christian service, and his wife, Catherine. Inspired by the modern Deaconess movement established by Theodor Fliedner and his wife Friederike Münster in Kaiserswerth, Germany, William and Catherine developed their own expression of this model in the Mildmay Institutions. Central to this were the Mildmay Deaconesses – a body of devoted Christian women trained for practical ministry and nursing, whose pioneering work would go on to shape Mildmay’s enduring legacy of compassionate care.

Their calling came into sharp focus during the devastating cholera outbreak of 1866. As the epidemic swept through London, the Mildmay Deaconesses were dispatched to Bethnal Green. There, in the squalor of the East End slums, they provided courageous, hands-on care to the sick and dying, often entering places others feared to tread. Their ministry quickly expanded to include a nursing home and a cottage hospital. By 1877, Mildmay had launched the Medical Mission in Bethnal Green, and in 1892, the first Mildmay Mission Hospital opened its doors. From its inception, Mildmay was a place where Christian faith met human suffering with practical love. 1

Florence Nightingale herself recognised the significance of the Pennefathers’ vision, writing, ‘I hail with the greatest satisfaction every attempt to train in practical activity all female missionaries… I am sure that whatever you do will be blessed in this thing,’ 2 and that blessing has endured through generations of dedicated nursing service.

serving where the need is greatest: a history of pioneering care

In every era, Mildmay has stepped forward into the hardest places, responding to the pressing health and social needs of the time. From its earliest years addressing poverty and poor health in the rapidly growing East End of London, to training nurses who would go on to serve across the UK and in missionary hospitals overseas, the hospital has consistently pioneered clinical excellence and spiritual care.

However, perhaps its most defining moment came with the emergence of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 90s. In 1988, at a time when fear, ignorance, and misinformation abounded, and many people affected by the virus faced profound isolation and prejudice, Mildmay became Europe’s first hospice specifically caring for people with advanced AIDS. We welcomed those others would not, providing medical care, symptom control, and compassionate support for patients, many of whom were dying alone and stigmatised.

The regular visits of Diana, then Princess of Wales, during this time were pivotal. Her willingness to sit with patients, hold their hands, and offer compassion without hesitation helped to challenge the pervasive stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and brought much-needed global attention to Mildmay’s work. Her actions profoundly mirrored our Christian ethos: to treat every person with inherent dignity, respect, and unconditional love, whatever their background, diagnosis, or life story.

beyond borders: sharing knowledge and building capacity

That same compassion for the marginalised led Mildmay beyond the UK. Recognising the immense need in East Africa, where the HIV epidemic was having a devastating impact, we opened Mildmay Uganda Hospital in Kampala in 1998 at the invitation of the Ugandan government. It quickly became one of East Africa’s first centres of excellence for the comprehensive care of people – especially children and adolescents – living with HIV-related conditions. Over time, our international reach expanded through partnerships in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Eastern Europe, focusing on building local capacity through training, education, and service development.

While our direct international work has largely transitioned into the capable hands of local partners, the spirit and principles of Mildmay live on powerfully through organisations like Mildmay Uganda and Mildmay Kenya. We continue to support these partnerships and have recently launched an Education Exchange Programme that enables UK and overseas healthcare professionals to share skills, build capacity, and learn from each other’s experiences in delivering compassionate, inclusive care. Last year, we were excited to begin a new project in Uganda to establish regional health centres focused on critical areas including palliative care, maternity care, and specialised services for disabled children – meeting people at both the beginning and the end of life with grace, expertise, and dignity.

a new name, the same foundational calling

In late 2024, Mildmay made a significant decision regarding our name: to remove the word ‘Mission’. After more than a century as Mildmay Mission Hospital, we became simply Mildmay Hospital.

This was not a departure from our faith, but a thoughtful evolution in how we communicate our enduring values in a contemporary context. The word ‘mission’, while rich in Christian meaning, can also evoke historical associations with colonialism or cultural superiority for some – connotations that do not reflect the inclusive, respectful, and collaborative spirit of who we are today.

Our work remains unchanged: to alleviate human suffering and provide compassionate, inclusive, person-centred healthcare to those in greatest need. We are proud of our Christian heritage and of the enduring principles that underpin our care. Removing ‘mission’ from our name allows us to engage more openly and effectively with people of all faiths and none, and from all backgrounds, ensuring that our focus remains squarely on serving those who need us most, while remaining true to our foundational calling.

meeting today’s challenges: specialised care for complex needs

Today, Mildmay provides specialised neurorehabilitation services, particularly for people living with complex HIV-related conditions. We also offer a unique step-down service for patients who are medically ready to leave acute hospitals but are experiencing homelessness or are unable to return to unsuitable or unsafe living conditions. Furthermore, we provide a crucial post-detox stabilisation pathway, a key component of the Pan-London Substance Misuse Programme, supporting individuals on their journey to recovery.

We deliver this care in a purpose-built facility, opened by Prince Harry in 2015. This is designed to be a calm, welcoming, accessible, and therapeutic environment, fostering healing and recovery. Our patients often arrive after long or challenging stays in acute hospitals, many presenting with additional complex needs, including mental health conditions, substance use challenges, or trauma-related issues. We offer them stability, multidisciplinary support, and – most importantly – hope.

Despite the complexity of our patients’ needs, the aim is always the same: to empower recovery, promote independence where possible, and restore dignity, guided by respect and compassion.

Mildmay is primarily funded through NHS contracts, which cover a significant portion of our operational costs. However, we remain a charity. This means we must raise significant additional funds every year to provide the level of care that makes our services truly transformative. Charitable income helps us fund:

• Specialist therapies
• Essential staff training and professional development, ensuring our team remains at the forefront of complex care
• Maintenance and enhancement of our welcoming, accessible, and therapeutic environment – a crucial part of the healing process
• Support for spiritual care and chaplaincy, addressing the holistic needs of our patients
• International and educational programmes that extend our impact

Donor funding has helped us go beyond the minimum and offer a model of care that is compassionate, integrated, and focused on the whole person.

why we still matter

In 2024, Mildmay was honoured in a most public and significant way, as the Mayor of London and Transport for London named one of the six London Overground lines the Mildmay Line. This recognition, celebrating our long-standing contribution to East London and beyond, is a powerful reminder that our story and service are deeply woven into the fabric of this city and its communities.

In 2025, we marked another significant milestone: the fortieth anniversary of our reopening in response to the emerging HIV crisis – four decades of pioneering care, inclusion, and resilience in the face of evolving health challenges.

Ultimately, it is not plaques, publicity, or historical milestones that define us. It is the stories of those we serve: the man living with complex HIV who walks again after months of rehabilitation; the woman discharged not to the street but to a new home, thanks to integrated support; the person once disregarded and forgotten who now receives care, dignity, and hope.

a call to fellow believers in healthcare

To Christian doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and all those working in healthcare reading this: Mildmay needs your support. Not just your prayers, but your advocacy, your voice, and, where possible, your financial giving. In a healthcare system under increasing pressure, we need places like Mildmay – intentionally shaped by Christian compassion – where the most vulnerable are seen, known, and loved.

Many of you will have trained with, worked alongside, or been inspired by those who passed through Mildmay’s doors. Some of you may have patients today who benefit from the kind of specialist, integrated care we provide. We invite you to partner with us, because Mildmay is not only a hospital. It is a living legacy of Christian healthcare, still alive, still desperately needed, and still making a tangible difference in the lives of those on the margins.

To find out more, visit mildmay.org.