Charmaine’s story

10 years ago my husband was admitted to hospital – the L&D in fact. After lots of tests he was sent for an operation which changed his life and actually saved it! As his partner this is actually terrifying to watch someone you love go through! After his operation he was admitted to the HDU, the wait in the waiting room felt like forever, and actually as your mind is reeling while you’re waiting, there was no comfort and no solace from the waiting room, it was a temporary space so had only plastic chairs and a few random posters. I sat there for an hour waiting for my husband to come to the ward and then be settled due to his levels spiking and be unable to be moved. So why my story? The importance of a relatives room is so understated, the need for a space to gather your mind, to find some peace is imperative to our care of our patients visitors. Just to be able to mindlessly watch TV, charge my phone as it was actually going flat, to grab a cup of water makes such a difference to gather yourself before you see your loved one, it makes a world of difference. Please support the next section of our fundraising and help us hit the £24,000 to support the upgrades in the relatives room, help us make that difference because people matter most.

The team are enhancing the area with some comfortable seating, if like Charmaine you could be in there a little while, placing a TV for visitors to watch and some art work across the walls to make the space feel as less clinical as we can. All these items really make the difference to a space.