Welcome
to the League of Friends of Sevenoaks Hospital
Tearoom goes from strength to strength
The tea room at Sevenoaks Hospital continues as the main focus and fund raiser for the League of Friends enabling us to provide little extras to benefit patients and staff. Do come along if you are visiting the hospital or nearby and enjoy our selection of refreshments in this warm and cosy place.
You will find a variety hot and cold drinks including various types of tea, coffee, cappuccino, and Bovril on sale as well as packet soup. Snacks include healthy options, croissants, chocolate, bakewell tart and eccles cakes. Our volunteers have undertaken food hygiene training and the café has been awarded a five star rating. You can also enjoy a friendly chat when you come to see us in the outpatients building or are visiting the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) or the ward.
There's a wide selection of second-hand books as well which are always extremely popular. We also sell some good quality greetings cards and wrapping paper. Christmas cards in ten colourful were again in demand during the festive season. Our hot drinks machine continues to provide a valuable service in the main building as does the vending machine with drinks and snacks again with healthy options.
To help younger people we are in the process of providing blood testing equipment (a Transcutaneous Bilirubinometer) for midwives to check if babies have jaundice. We are also giving distraction boxes for children in waiting room in the UTC with wipe clean drawing equipment and toys. The idea is to keep junior patients and toddlers busy while waiting to be seen making life easier of youngsters and parents alike.
We continue to support major projects and provide plants for the garden and have given a DVD player for the emporium we helped refurbish to assist dementia patients.
You can find out more about our work by visiting www.lofosh.org.uk and donations are always gratefully received. For more details email info@lofosh.org.uk
Thank you to everyone who bought or sold our our colourful range of Christmas cards. They were available in our cafeteria at Sevenoaks Hospital outpatients and other local outlets. To find out more you can download this PDF and you can see colourful pictures of each of the 10 pictures on our Seasonal focus page.
Friends continue good work at Sevenoaks Hospital for more than 100 years
Sevenoaks Hospital has been an important feature of the town for well over a century. As the League of Friends of approach their Annual General Meeting this summer it is interesting to also reflect on historical reports from earlier days. Then subscribers provided basic supplies plus extras for patient comfort such as books and magazines and today we continue to supply daily newspapers for the ward which are very popular.
Second-hand books are on sale at a very reasonable price in our ever-popular tea room. All beds on the ward and waiting room areas in both the main and day hospital have been provided with televisions by the Friends which are free to use.
In 1904, as always Hospital funds were stretched. But the annual report explains patients remained paramount: “It is a satisfaction to the committee that the Friends have not failed them”, it explains. Annual subscriptions and donations were generously boosted by a Pastoral Play in Knole Park and “this novel and interesting entertainment greatly delighted a large number of spectators”. The numbers of patients treated had increased as had the complexity of cases.
Patient numbers had continued to rise 10 years later but the committee noted a falling off of subscriptions and donations “which can fairly be attributed to the War”. However good housekeeping prevailed: “It is only owing to the very great care and economy exercised.… the very high standard of comfort has been maintained”. Funds were boosted by entertainments, church collections and parades and a Pound Day resulting in “900 lbs weight of necessaries....a very welcome addition to the hospital stores”.
The committee recorded “great appreciation” of the work of the matron and nurses “who have carried out their work with entire satisfaction”. Many discharged patients kindly gave fruit, flowers and new laid eggs.
* See the picture above from 70 years ago and note the old fashioned vehicles in spartan numbers. Also how much the garden has come on of late to become a peaceful oasis for patients and visitors!
We also recommend you read our interesting historical piece about what was happening in the hospital 90 years ago in 1913. Very different times but some of the same messages!
Friends' newsletter highlights recent work
Our most recent newsletter gives details of our work during the last year. It's also that time of year when we request subscriptions and donations! You can read more here. Gift Aid Form
AGM spotlights benefits to patients
Our Annual General Meeting heard about invaluable work and achievements during the past year. Presentations were given by Chairman Ian Philip and representatives from Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust headed by Chief Executive Mairead McCormick.
Ian said the newly-refurbished tea room had proved really successful since re-opening after the pandemic including new facilities for card payments. A vending machine had also been installed in the waiting area of the Urgent Treatment Centre for the convenience of patients.
He said: “We are always looking for ways in which we can increase our offering to customers, so that we can satisfy their needs whilst making money for the charity. These profits go straight into our funds and are available for us to provide benefits to the hospital and its patients”.
The Friends had been delighted to be involved with creating a vintage emporium for patients and revamping the hospital garden. This included watering during drought conditions and more recently providing additional planters.... Garden
Mairhead said she had been impressed with visits to the new emporium and tea room. “It does lift your heart,” she said. She explained how the Trust was moving forward. This includes using the hospital much more plus increased day care leading to shorter stays in hospital.
The hospital was a “great asset to the community” but it was now important to build on community use. “ Covid taught us a lot about doing things differently, how to cover and modernise and use facilities beyond”, she said.
The event on June 22 was also attended by Chairman of Sevenoaks District Council Cllr Alan Layland and Town Mayor Claire Shea. Local MP Laura Trott also sent a message praising the hospital's work and promised her absolute support. You can watch this short video to hear her.
Donate to our projects
We always welcome any donations, if possible with Gift Aid. We can now accept them by sending a secure link to your mobile phone enabling donations to be made by card payment. Cheques are of course can still be accepted. For details email info@lofosh.org.uk.