Medical dates:

Medical character:

In October 1950 Whittington, a large mansion in Highgate, opened as a halfway house between hospital and home for elderly sick female patients on transfer from the Archway Group of hospitals.  The Home was sponsored by King Edward's Hospital Fund for London (later renamed the King's Fund) and was maintained by the Regional Hospital Board under contract arrangements with the Archway Group Hospital Management Committee and Hill Homes Ltd.  It was the first of four new homes for the elderly in the Group, part of the King's Fund initiative to free up acute beds in hospitals.

The Home had 30 beds.  It was not intended to be a permanent home for residents, but so that patients could receive rehabilitative care - and some nursing care, if needed - before being discharged to their own homes, even if this took months rather than weeks.

By March 1951 some 47 patients had been transferred from the Whittington Hospital.  

In 1958, of the 247 patients seen at the Geriatric Unit, a quarter were sent to the Home for convalescence.  Their average length of stay in hospital was about 10 weeks; they then remained for a further 5 weeks at the Home.  Most patients were female, although there were 4 beds for male patients.

At the end of July 1967 management of the Home was taken over by the Archway Group Hospital Management Committee.

By 1976 the Home had 26 geriatric beds.

It closed in the 1980s.


Present status (February 2009)

The mansion has been demolished.  Its site is now occupied by a quite modern-looking 'architect designed' terrace of houses, built in modern red brick and dark wood.