Our Services and Impact
The Friends of Chelsea & Westminster Hospital are dedicated to making hospital life more pleasant for patients, staff, and visitors.
We go beyond basic care, offering services that bring extra comfort and support to those in the hospital, helping to improve their experience in meaningful ways. ​Since 1993, we’ve awarded £1.5 million in grants, improving patient experiences with essential equipment and services across Chelsea & Westminster and West Middlesex hospitals.
Discover how we’re making a difference and how you can support our work through donations or volunteering. Together, we can continue to create a more compassionate hospital experience.
Our Services
We believe the little things make a big difference.
Shop Trolley
The Friends Shop Trolley visits the wards morning and afternoon seven days a week. This service is very helpful for busy staff, and for patients unable to leave their ward.
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Volunteers push the trolley around to each bay, allowing patients and staff to purchase items on the trolley. They visit every ward on every floor each day.
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Most items sold in the Friends Shop are also on the shop trolley.
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We are grateful for all support of this vital volunteer service - please click if you would like to become a Shop Trolley Volunteer, or to donate to support the services we provide.
Library Trolley
The Library Trolley visits the wards on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Our Library Volunteers bring the patients a selection of books
on the trolley and lend them out for the duration of the patient’s stay.
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.
Lunch trolley
Since 2022 the Friends have run the Staff Lunch Trolley in partnership with B Bagel Fulham Road. Operated by our team of volunteers, the trolley goes round the wards every weekday with a selection of bagels, salads, cakes and soft drinks.
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This important service is for the benefit of busy staff who do not have time to leave their departments for lunch.​
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​​Click here for the Staff Lunch Trolley Weekly Timetable
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Click here to find out about being a Lunch Trolley Volunteer
The Friends run a fully-stocked library for the benefit of the hospital's patients and staff.
Everyone is welcome to visit the library, which is on the Lower Ground Floor (Lift A/B).
Opening hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 12pm to 2pm.
Friends Library
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 essential items.
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The shop is open every weekday between 9am and 5pm.​
We hold book and bric à brac sales every Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 1pm in the hospital’s Main Atrium.
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Items for sale are donated from many different sources including former patients, local businesses, and generous local residents.
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Prices are kept low, and all profits go to the Friends to fund our various projects.
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Hair Salon
The Friends run a Hair Salon in the hospital (second floor Lift D) for the benefit of staff, patients and the general public.
For full details including prices and how to book, click here.
Fundraising Sales
Our Impact
The funds we raise go straight back into the hospital via our Grants Scheme and other projects.
Your donations make a huge difference to patients and staff.
Grants Scheme
Since 1993 we have awarded over £1.5 million in grants to improve the hospital experience for patients and staff. We make grants both independently and jointly with the hospital's official charity CW Plus. Some recent grants include:
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£2,500 to InterAct Stroke Support for their specialist reading service for stroke patients on Nell Gwynne ward
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£3,926 to the Palliative Care Team for cloth bags with a butterfly logo to store the belongings of patients who have passed away
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£1,013 to the Hand Therapy Team for a Woodcast oven for making biodegradable splints
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£94 to the Maternity Department for earplugs and eye masks for use by women on the labour/postnatal wards
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£2,366 (cost shared equally with CW+) to the Outpatients Department for the refurbishment of a changing room for use by hysteroscopy/biopsy patients
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£97 to the Phlebotomy Department for three fans to keep the department cool in the summer
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£59 to Edgar Horne Ward for a new microwave for their staff kitchen
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£4,694 (cost shared equally with CW+) to Respiratory Physiotherapy for a specialist wheelchair for moving critically ill patients (pictured right)
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£240 to the Children’s Music Therapy Department for a 3/4-size cello for use in therapy sessions
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£467 to the Cheyne Child Development Service for a selection of sensory toys for use in Sleep Clinic for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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£3,782 (cost shared equally with CW+) to the Clinical Learning & Development team for mannequins for training staff in cannula/IV placement
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£535 to the Labour Ward for a selection of aromatherapy oils for use by women in labour
Join us in making a difference - click below to help support this vital work.
"The Barton chair has allowed us to assist our more complex ICU patients out of bed. It has helped us to start rehab as early as possible for all patients which will ultimately improve their function and potentially reduce their length of stay.
Thank you to the Friends and CW+!"
Emma Bowen (Team Lead Respiratory Physiotherapist)​
These rooms are more than just spaces; they are sanctuaries of love and care for families when it matters most.
End-of-Life Care
We have a particular interest in helping to improve the hospital experience for patients at the end of life and their loved ones.
Butterfly Rooms
From 2016 to 2022, the Friends focused fundraising efforts on creating more Butterfly Rooms—a crucial part of our mission to enhance palliative care.
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These specially designed rooms offer patients nearing the end of life a peaceful space where loved ones can spend precious, uninterrupted time together in comfort.
Each Butterfly Room is thoughtfully redecorated to provide a calm, welcoming environment during life’s most difficult moments.
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To date, we have completed 13 Butterfly Rooms—seven at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and six at West Middlesex Hospital, helping to bring peace and dignity to those in their final days. ​Butterfly rooms are located in these wards:
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Chelsea & Westminster: Acute Admissions Unit, David Erskine, Edgar Horne, Lord Wigram, Nell Gwynne, Rainsford Mowlem and St Mary Abbotts
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West Middlesex: Kew, Acute Medical Unit 2, Syon 2, Osterley 2, Marble Hill 1, Marble Hill 2
Butterfly Volunteer Manager
In October 2023, the Friends agreed to fund the salary of a Butterfly Volunteer Manager to enhance the Trust's end-of-life care services. Amber Joseph, appointed in January 2024, now leads the Butterfly Volunteer team, supporting patients and their families during their final days. This initiative continues our commitment to end-of-life care which began with the creation of Butterfly Rooms.