Records of King Edward's Hospital Fund for London including records from the governance bodies of the Fund, including the minutes of the General Council and annual reports. There are also significant correspondence files from the offices of the King's Fund paid secretaries. The material dates mainly from the 20th Century, with a very small amount from the late 19th Century reflecting the very beginnings of the Fund.
Committee records includes minutes, agendas and committee documents as well as extensive runs of institution files from committees such as the Convalescent Homes, Auxiliary Hospitals, Distribution and other grant giving committees which not only give information on the type support the Fund were giving at various points in time but also reflect changes in the needs of hospitals, convalescent homes and other health care related institutions and the introduction of new equipment and methods of delivering health care services.
Included also are the visitors reports on individual hospitals, Information relating to the King's Fund role in specialised initiatives such as its involvement in the purchase and distribution of radium for use in London hospitals, the opening of half-way homes for the aged sick and supplying garden advisors to assist in providing pleasing open spaces within hospital grounds.
The Fund's influence in the development of health care policy and in developing new initiatives can be seen in records such as the King's Fund Institute and the King's Fund Organisational Audit. There is also an extensive series of project files which reflect a huge range of diversity in the needs of hosptials, health care providers, patients and staff. The project files also include records of arguable the Fund's most famous project whereby it produced a specification for the King's Fund bed and the project files whereby it revisited the bedstead in celebration of its centenary.
Financial records include a substantial series of legacy files reflecting the philanthropic bequests of donors throughout the 20th Century and the decline of legacy giving as a means of supporting charities in more recent years.
There are records reflecting the Fund's commitment to improving hospital administration such as those relating to the Colleges and the King's Fund Centre that were established in the 1950s and 1960s when the Fund began to provide educational, training and development opportunites and to be a place to stimulate and improve hospital services.
Prince of Wales Hospital Fund for London x King Edward's Hospital Fund for London x King's Fund