Our Services
We aim to give patients and visitors the extra care and support they need to make their hospital stay more pleasant. We believe the little things can make all the difference.
Trolley Services
Shop Trolley
The Friends Shop Trolley visits the wards morning and afternoon from Monday to Friday. The volunteers, on their own or as a pair, fill up the trolley in the Friends Shop and then take it up to the wards.
The volunteers push the trolley around to each bay, allowing patients and staff to purchase items on the trolley. This service is very helpful for busy staff, and for patients unable to leave their ward. Most items sold in the Friends Shop you will find on the shop trolley.
Morning Round
10AM - 12:30PM
Afternoon Round
2pm - 4:30PM
Library Trolley
The Library Trolley visits the wards on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Library Trolley volunteers bring the patients a selection of books on the trolley and lend them out for the duration of the patient’s stay.
Via the Library Trolley patients and staff are able to borrow and return books/audiobooks, request specific books, and request special items such as large-print books or books in other languages.
Tuesday
10AM - 12:00PM
Wednesday
10AM - 12:00PM
Friday
10AM - 12:00PM
Staff Lunch Trolley
In November 2022 the Friends took over the Staff Lunch Trolley, which had previously been run by B Bagel but ceased operating in March 2020 due to Covid.
In partnership with B Bagel and our own volunteer team, we have now brought this important service back for the benefit of busy staff who do not have time to leave their departments for lunch.
You can view the full trolley schedule at Staff Lunch Trolley Weekly Timetable.
Monday
11.30AM-1.30PM
Tuesday
11.30AM-1.30PM
Wednesday
11.30AM-1.30PM
Thursday
11.30AM-1.30PM
Friday
11.30AM-1.30PM
Friends Library
The Friends runs a fully-stocked library for the use of patients and staff of the hospital.
All patients and staff are welcome to visit the library, which is located on the Lower Ground Floor (Lift A/B). Opening hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 12pm to 2pm.
The Library also offers the ‘Friends Parcel’ service – packages of books and magazines for delivery to any ward or department that requests one. To request a parcel please call extension 58825/58827.
– Shirley Conran, author DONATE“About 10 years ago, I woke up in Chelsea and Westminster on the day the book trolley came round and I felt the kindness of the trolley pusher and the generous thought and careful organisation that had resulted in my being greatly cheered by a book. This is why I send a donation to the Friends”.
Book and Bric à Brac Sales
Book and bric à brac sales take place every Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 1pm in the hospital’s main atrium. The items for sale are donated from many different sources including former patients, friendly publishers, local businesses, and generous local residents. We keep prices low and all profits go to the Friends to fund our various projects.
Book sales are held every Friday morning and every other Wednesday, with bric à brac on alternating Wednesdays. Please see the Events Calendar to check which sale is happening on a particular date.
“I was delighted to donate my husband Chris Ramsey’s books to the Friends of Chelsea & Westminster Hospital as a big thanks to the hospital for all the treatments & support that they offered him during his last years. The Wednesday and Friday ‘book and bric à brac sale’ at the hospital was a particular favourite place to buy books for Chris, and I think this is fitting as a way of giving some thing back by providing further happy reading to others.”
Foteini (Chris’s wife)
Friends Shop
The Friends Shop is on the ground floor of the hospital near the main entrance. It supplies newspapers, magazines, confectionery, soft drinks, toiletries, balloons, gifts, cards and other items.
The shop is open every weekday between 9am and 5pm.
The Friends Hair Salon
The Friends run a Hair Salon in the hospital for the benefit of staff, patients and the general public. For full details including prices and how to book, visit our dedicated Friends Hair Salon page.
