Facilities for parents
We know that having a child in hospital can be a difficult experience and we do our best to make your stay with us as easy as possible. Please see below for the facilities available to parents.
Children's wards
- Parent's bed by the child's bed, parent’s room with free tea, coffee and hot chocolate
- Separate parent’s toilet and shower, on the wards and inside most of the side rooms
- Breakfast is provided following overnight stays
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner is provided for breastfeeding mothers
- Provisions are made for emergency supplies of toiletries
- Baby changing facilities in the assisted bathroom
- Washing machine for long stay patients at Barnet Hospital
- Information sheets
- Ward information folder by every bed at Barnet Hospital and in the parents' sitting room at the Royal Free Hospital
Neonatal wards
- Parent’s sitting room with a microwave, kettle and fridge. Hot meals are available for parents who are staying with their babies. There is also a small play area available for siblings.
- At Barnet Hospital there are 10 individual care rooms giving parents the opportunity to stay in the hospital with their infant 24 hours a day and improving the opportunity for family-centred, developmental care. Each room has its own bed and recliner armchairs allowing both parents to do skin to skin as much as possible. Each room has its own breast pump to allow the mother to express at their babies bedside.
- At the Royal Free Hospital there are four beds available on ward 6 West B for parents to stay with their babies prior to discharge. All parents area given the opportunity to stay with their baby prior to discharge. This is usually for one to two nights. If capacity allows we encourage them to stay prior to this to encourage breastfeeding.