Old soldiers' home Old soldiers' home An old soldiers' home is a military veteran's retirement home, nursing home, or hospital, or sometimes even an institution for the care of the widows and orphans of a nation's soldiers, sailors, and marines, etc. In the United Kingdom the Royal Hospital Chelsea was established by King Charles II in 1682 as a retreat for veterans. The provision of a hostel rather than the payment of pensions was inspired by Les Invalides in Paris. The Royal Hospital Chelsea, often called simply Chelsea Hospital, is a retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British
Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh and between 1974 and 1984 it was part of the District of Lothian Health Board. At present it is part of Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust. The hospital celebrated its 150th birthday in 2010. Various of the buildings that make up the hospital at the Sciennes Road site have listed building status designated by Historic Environment Scotland. In 2005, NHS Lothian decided to develop plans to move the Sick Kids from its present site to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France on the south-east edge of the city. A business case for the project was approved by the