Disabled facilities

At the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust we aim to anticipate our patients' needs as well as we can. We provide access to facilities for people with a disability, including:

• Car parking for blue badge holders
• Wheelchairs for those who need them
• Accessible toilets throughout our hospital buildings 
• Facilities for patients and visitors who have trouble hearing or seeing
• Liaison nurses for people with a learning disability

Find out more about our services for people with a learning disability.

Disabled access to our hospitals: people with wheelchairs

If you require wheelchair access, the Pond Street entrance of the Royal Free Hospital is fully accessible. However, the approach to the hospital is steep. Lifts are available to every hospital ward and all clinics.

There is a store of wheelchairs available on the ground floor of Barnet Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital by the main receptions and you can help yourself to chairs from the store if available. If there are no wheelchairs available then you can book a porter at main reception. Wheelchairs can also be hired from the British Red Cross on a longer-term basis.  

Occupational therapy and physiotherapy have a store of wheelchairs that are used for assessment purposes. These can be lent to hospital patients if they:

• are amputees
• have postural and seating needs (mainly patients with neurological disorders)

Occupational therapy and physiotherapy wheelchairs cannot be lent for moving around the hospital.

Disabled parking at the Royal Free London

Parking is available at each of our hospitals for blue badge holders. Find out more about disabled parking at our hospitals.

Disabled facilities on the hospital ward

If you are an out-patient, we can provide adjustable couches. We also have a range of specialist beds that adapt to the needs of most hospital patients. Please tell staff if you have a physical need so that they can make your hospital stay or visit easier.

People with sensory needs

Our lifts have automatic voice announcements at each floor and information in Braille. Guide dogs can accompany people to visit hospital patients.

A hospital volunteer may be available to escort a patient. Please ask hospital staff at the reception desk of the hospital you are attending if you need help.

Interpreting services

We can supply British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters or lipspeakers. Ideally, we require 10 working days notice to do this but we will always try to organise one if the notice period is less.

We will be pleased to arrange foreign language interpreters. 

Find out more about Royal Free's interpreting services.

Large print text and audio information

All in-house printed information at the Royal Free follows RNIB guidelines. The ophthalmology department has versions of much of its written information in large print and audio format - please ask hospital staff. Ask the PALS NHS team office for audio versions of the hospital in-patient and out-patient booklets and bedside directory.