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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Developing a deeper understanding of type 1 diabetes: now and for future generations |
Chair: Jay Mehta Speakers: Dr Miranda Rosenthal, Professor Lucy Walker and Professor Parth Narendran |
Online | Event has passed | Watch the film |
To register your interest at our next event, please email rf.
Staff were praised for their incredible commitment and dedication at the first in-person Annual Members’ Meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic.
After three years of virtual events, members of the public, as well as staff and patients, were invited to the Royal Free Hospital for the annual event which discusses our trust’s performance and its priorities for the future.
Attendees heard from our lead governor, Sneha Bedi, who chaired the event, as well as Royal Free London (RFL) group chair, Mark Lam, and group chief executive, Peter Landstrom.
Sneha spoke about how the council of governors have continued to carry out their statutory duties. She mentioned their highlights of the year, including welcoming Dame Donna Kinnair and Pawan Dhir to the RFL board and formally approving Peter Landstrom as the new group chief executive.
Mark reflected on the challenges faced by the trust and commended staff’s perseverance during another unprecedented year.
He said: “We are receiving record numbers of cancer referrals, which is putting pressure on our services, and our emergency departments and urgent treatment centres are busier than ever. Continued industrial action has also been incredibly difficult for all our staff.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to them for their incredible work and continued dedication. We are hugely grateful.”
Discussing the trust’s mission and journey ahead, Peter said: “Our tripartite mission of clinical excellence, education and training, and research, would be impossible to deliver in isolation.
"We are increasingly working with organisations across health and social care, and it is those partnerships that give us the strength and ability to take our agenda forward.”
Multiple speakers shared why collaborations with others including University College London, North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust and the Royal Free Charity, are so important and the difference they are making to the communities we serve.
Catharine Sykes, deputy director of public fundraising at the Royal Free Charity, said: “We collaborate really closely with the Royal Free London to fund some fantastic projects. Everything we do as a charity aims to help the trust go further and faster.”
Catharine also encouraged attendees to take part in their new fundraising appeal, the A&E shift challenge.
Attendees were also able to ask executive directors questions and share their views.
The final message from speakers and board members was gratitude for our staff. Peter said: “Our staff are incredible. The work that they do does not go unnoticed. I promise you it is never taken for granted and I am incredibly proud to work alongside them.”
Watch the recording of the event below:
