Our hospital
A specialist charitable hospital in East London providing inpatient rehabilitation and step-down care for people with complex medical and psychosocial needs.
Mildmay Hospital is an independent charitable hospital working in partnership with the NHS. We provide 24-hour inpatient care and multidisciplinary rehabilitation for adults whose needs are not best met in acute hospital settings or standard community services.
Our patients often present with a combination of physical health conditions, cognitive impairment, mental health needs, and social complexity, including homelessness or substance dependence.
We support recovery, stabilisation, and safe discharge through coordinated clinical and therapeutic care in a single setting.
What We Do
We provide specialist inpatient care across the following areas:
Working with the NHS
Mildmay operates as a specialist step-down and rehabilitation provider, supporting NHS systems by:
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Providing care for patients who no longer require acute beds but still need structured clinical support
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Managing complexity that can delay discharge, including housing and safeguarding issues
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Delivering coordinated multidisciplinary care in a lower-cost setting than acute hospitals
We work closely with referring teams, Integrated Care Systems, and community services to support safe and timely discharge.
Cost-Effective Care
As a charitable hospital, Mildmay provides specialist inpatient care at a lower cost than acute hospital settings.
Our model is designed to deliver the right level of care in the right setting, supporting both patient outcomes and system efficiency. We help reduce avoidable readmissions and improve longer-term stability. This approach strengthens NHS capacity while maintaining high standards of care.
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Integrated Services: Mildmay offers a comprehensive package that includes all clinical treatments, therapies, and social care within the daily bed cost. In contrast, the NHS separates costs for treatment, therapies, and care from the basic bed cost. This integration reduces the need for additional services, lowering the overall cost.
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Specialisation in Care: Mildmay specialises in rehabilitation, including neurorehabilitation and care for patients recovering from complex conditions such as HIV and addiction. This targeted expertise allows the hospital to focus resources efficiently, ensuring patients receive specialised care without the general overheads of larger NHS facilities.
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Lower Overheads: Mildmay operates as a charity, providing services for NHS patients but with fewer administrative and operational costs than large NHS hospitals. Charitable donations, efficient use of resources, and targeted funding reduce the financial burden on the hospital, which can be reflected in the bed costs.
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Smaller Scale: As a smaller, focused hospital, Mildmay can streamline its operations and offer tailored, patient-centric care. This results in higher efficiency in service delivery compared to large NHS hospitals, where the complexity and scale of operations can lead to higher costs per bed.
Our Facilities
Our purpose-built hospital in East London is designed to support recovery, dignity, and independence.
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28 single, private ensuite rooms
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On-site therapy spaces, including gym and rehabilitation areas
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Communal and outdoor spaces, including a courtyard garden and conservatory
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24-hour nursing care
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Access to chaplaincy, pastoral and wellbeing support.
How Care is Delivered
Care at Mildmay is delivered through a multidisciplinary team (MDT), bringing together medical, nursing, therapy, and psychosocial support.
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Structured assessment and care planning
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Functional recovery and independence
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Medication adherence and clinical stability
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Addressing housing, safeguarding, and social needs alongside medical care
Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.
It monitors, inspects and regulates services that provide health and social care, including the category within which Mildmay Mission Hospital sits: 'treatment, care and support provided by hospitals, GPs, dentists, ambulances and mental health services'.
Mildmay's CQC registration number is 1-2151037387.
“Mildmay... is a unique and impressive hospital. Staff provided additional support for patients, beyond clinical care. They had a detailed, holistic understanding about their patients’ lives and needs."
Professor Sir Mike Richards
The Chief Inspector of Hospitals
April 2017
A Charitable Hospital
As a charity, Mildmay complements NHS provision by delivering specialist services that are not always available within standard commissioning models.
Charitable funding supports elements of care that enhance recovery and patient wellbeing, including therapies and holistic support services.
Visit our charity's website to make a donation and support Mildmay Hospital.
Our History
Mildmay has served communities in East London since the 19th century, with a long history of caring for people who are often excluded from mainstream services.
In the 1980s, we became one of the UK’s first hospitals dedicated to the care of people with HIV, a role that brought national recognition, including support from Diana, Princess of Wales, and continued public engagement in the years since.
Today, we continue that work through specialist rehabilitation for people with complex health and social needs.
Diana, Princess of Wales, made 17 visits to Mildmay, formally and informally, championing compassionate care for people living with HIV.