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Do you want to be more connected and involved with your local hospital?
Membership is a wonderful way of strengthening your bond with the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which covers Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital — and it’s free to join!
Why sign up?
Foundation trusts are membership organisations, and becoming a member allows you to get to know your local hospital and increase your understanding of the local health economy.
Membership means we can communicate directly with you — the people and communities we serve.
You’ll be kept up to date with the latest developments and news from the three hospitals we cover and our satellite sites, and be invited to events aimed at informing and engaging you.
You may also be asked to give feedback on your experience at the Royal Free London
Who can join?
You can become a member of the Royal Free London if you live in England, are aged 16 or over, or are a carer for a patient who is aged under 16.
By becoming a member, you will:
- receive monthly membership updates, including our Freepress newsletter
- be invited to medicine for members’ events
- be invited to the annual members' meeting
- elect a council of governors to represent your interests
- be able to stand for election as a governor of our trust
You can be involved as much or as little as you like — it’s up to you!
Staff membership
If you’re a permanent or contracted member of staff, you automatically become a member of the trust, which means you do not have to complete the online form.
But you will need to sign up online if you’re working on the bank or are a volunteer at any of our hospitals or other sites.
We regularly hold free events for members open to patients, staff and the public.
If you’re not a member and would like to come along, you’re more than welcome.
Our Annual Members' Meetings are led by our governors. These are an opportunity to reflect on the last year and for attendees to receive updates on our trust's operational and financial performance.
Hosted by our governors, Medicine for Members' events showcase topics which are important to staff, patients, and the local community. All Medicine for Members’ events take place online on Microsoft Teams and in person at one of our hospitals.
Medicine for Members’ events
| Lecture title | Chair and speaker | Location | Date and Time | Film and feedback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building healthier communities |
Chair: Sneha Bedi Speakers: Judith Stanton, Aalaa Jawad and Maria Goddard |
Online | Event has passed | Watch the film |
|
Breast cancer at the Royal Free London: early diagnosis, research, and support |
Chair: Jane Gizbert Speakers: Claire Mabena, Judy King, Cathy McDaid, Kim Stoddard and Stephanie Scott |
Online | Event has passed | Watch the film |
| MSK matters - supporting patient health and wellbeing |
Chair: Gisela Botelho Speakers: Amanda Michael, Emma Brooks, Robert Jones and Christopher Surr |
Online | Event has passed | Watch the film |
| Saving lives: liver transplantation at the Royal Free London | Chair: Sneha Bedi |
Online | Event has passed | Watch the film |
|
Heart failure: a serious but treatable and reversable condition |
Chair: Alison Moore Speakers: Dr Tim Lockie, Dr Carol Whelan, Dr Ameet Bakhai |
Online | Event has passed | Watch the film |
To register your interest at our next event, please email rf.
World class research and education celebrated at annual members’ meeting
Groundbreaking research and education took centre stage at this year’s Royal Free London (RFL) annual members’ meeting.
Members of the public, as well as staff and patients, packed into the Sir William Wells Atrium at the Royal Free Hospital (RFH) for the event, which is one of the highlights of the trust’s calendar.
Attendees heard from Professor Alan Salama, consultant nephrologist, and Nicole Matthew, a RFH patient. They discussed how Alan’s research into a vaccine that protects kidney transplant patients against urinary tract infections (UTI) has made a real difference to Nicole’s life.
Shortly after receiving her new kidney, Nicole began experiencing recurrent UTIs and was admitted into intensive care.
After joining the research trial last year, the number of UTIs Nicole faced dropped significantly from six each year to one or two. She said: “My quality of life has improved immensely. I had accepted I would be in and out of hospital for treatment, but since being vaccinated, it’s just not the case.”
Attendees also had the opportunity to hear first-hand about how the trust’s apprenticeship programme is benefiting staff. Satianand Groodoyal, endoscopy nurse, shared his inspiring journey from healthcare assistant to registered nurse.
The event was chaired by lead governor, Sneha Bedi, who was joined by group chair, Mark Lam, and group chief executive, Peter Landstrom.
Sneha discussed how the Council of Governors had carried out their statutory duties, such as engaging with members and providing feedback to the trust’s board. She shared their highlights of the year, which included helping to develop the trust’s new public website and welcoming six new governors to the council.
Mark and Peter reflected on the recent unrest across the country.
Mark said: “This shocked us all and I would like to reassure our staff, communities and those of you with us this evening, that we stand together against any form of discrimination, including Islamophobia, antisemitism, or racial hatred of any kind.
Peter added: “I have been in the NHS for 22 years - the racism that we saw is the absolute antithesis of what our NHS is about – caring for patients regardless of their skin colour, their beliefs, their gender, or their sexuality.
“At the Royal Free London this will only serve to strengthen our resolve for rooting out these abhorrent behaviours and to ensure that our hospitals are welcoming places for the thousands of people who work and receive treatment here.”
Discussing our trust’s new five-year clinical vision, Peter said: “We’ve done a lot of thinking on our future direction of travel as an organisation and earlier this year we launched our clinical vision – an ambitious plan which will support our staff to deliver the very best of the NHS.
“It is designed with the needs of our local populations in mind to ensure we deliver the best possible health outcomes.”
Attendees were also able to ask our executive directors questions and share their views.
The final message from the speakers was one of appreciation for the trust’s staff. Peter said: “We have fantastic equipment and amazing developments, but none of it would be possible without our staff – they are the life blood of the Royal Free London.”
You can watch a recording of the event below.
