The Patient and Family Support Hub is a volunteer led service offering practical and emotional support to University Hospital Southampton (UHS) patients, families and unpaid carers. We are a calm and inviting space at UHS which anyone is welcome to use, and offer services such as Sunflower Lanyards for patients with hidden disabilities and their carers, a responder service offering delivery or collection of items essential to patients care or discharge from hospital, a wig fitting service for patients experiencing hair loss due to treatment, Citizens Advice service for financial support, a companion service on the wards or to and from outpatient appointments, and a shower facility for unpaid carers staying with patients in hospital. All fundraising on this page (through the League of Friends Charity) goes towards the running of our services and our current projects, which includes:

Refurbishment of the Lavender Treatment Room

We're seeking funding to refurbish the Lavender Room within our Patient and Family Support Hub and install a specialist hairdressing sink to create a warm, welcoming, and therapeutic space for patients and their families. Currently used for complementary therapies and wellbeing services, the room has become dated and no longer reflects the comfort and dignity our patients deserve. A refreshed environment would provide a calm sanctuary where patients can access both practical and emotional support during some of the most challenging times in their lives.

The addition of a hairdressing sink would enable us to offer hair-washing services for patients during prolonged hospital stays, helping them maintain their dignity, self-esteem, and sense of normality, while also supporting them to feel refreshed and prepared for discharge. The facility would also allow us to introduce a dedicated head-shaving service for patients undergoing cancer treatment, providing a compassionate and private setting where they can receive support through a deeply emotional stage of their cancer journey, alongside wig-fitting appointments where appropriate.

The Lavender Room also plays a vital role in supporting patients and families receiving end-of-life care, including providing a non-clinical space for wedding dress fittings and preparations for emergency weddings arranged for terminally ill patients. By refurbishing this space, we can expand and enhance these invaluable services, creating a welcoming haven that promotes comfort and compassionate care, while making a lasting difference to the experiences of some of our most vulnerable patients and their loved ones.

*please note, the attached image is AI generated and whilst it is reflective of the space we would like to create, it is not an accurate representation of the completed room*