Royal Free discharge lounge revamps daily patient waits

Following an extensive refurbishment completed in 2023, the Royal Free Hospital in north London has reopened its ground-floor discharge lounge as a dedicated space where medically fit patients wait in comfort for transport, medication and paperwork instead of remaining on busy inpatient wards.

Analysis published by Healthcare Leader in September 2024, using Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust figures, reports that average daily attendance at the lounge has risen from about 9 patients before the upgrade to 31 patients afterwards, meaning many more people now complete the last stage of their hospital stay in a shared area rather than occupying ward beds.

The redesigned lounge sits close to the main entrance and offers televisions, newspapers, magazines, hot meals from a full menu and a self-service refreshment station, creating a setting that is closer to a modern airport lounge than a traditional clinical waiting room for patients who may still feel tired or anxious as they prepare to travel home.

Trust information cited in the same article notes that the lounge can accommodate up to 26 patients at a time and turn this space over every three to four hours, with two registered nurses, two healthcare assistants and an administrator on duty to support personal care, monitor observations and arrange or amend patient transport bookings.

Royal Free data also indicate that 98 per cent of people using the service report positive experiences through Friends and Family Test feedback, a response attributed to the mix of high, mid and low back chairs, electronic recliners, a dedicated bariatric chair and a trolley space designed to suit older adults, people with mobility difficulties and those needing extra monitoring while they wait.

The refurbishment has taken place against a national backdrop in which the government’s Better Care Fund policy framework for 2023 to 2025 confirms an additional 1.6 billion pounds to support hospital discharge in England, with ministers stating that this funding is intended to help local systems move people out of hospital safely and more quickly through joined-up health and social care services.

21 November 2025 13:00 By London Health News Desk