A family from Bricket Wood have raised £20,000 to help transform facilities for the friends and family of patients being looked after in intensive care at a hospital.

Ros Hart, with the support of her son Ben and daughter Lia, led the fundraising effort after her husband Malcolm died at Hammersmith Hospital in 2017 following a battle with leukaemia.

The five-figure sum raised by the family has been used to cover the cost of several improvements to the ICU’s facilities at the hospital.

This includes enhancements to the kitchen space and quiet room that friends and family can use while their loved one is receiving treatment.

Watford Observer:

Ros, who set up the Malcolm Hart Foundation in 2018, spearheaded the fundraising campaign by organising a series of community events.

Working in partnership with Imperial Health Charity, she also hopes to fundraise towards improving family facilities for the ICUs at Charing Cross Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital.

She told the charity: “The Malcolm Hart Foundation is delighted that the first Malcolm Hart Quiet Room is now open and being used by family members of loved ones being treated in ICU.

“Although Malcolm received exceptional care, the facilities for worried and fearful families needing a break from the trauma of seeing a loved one so ill were sparse and unsatisfactory.

Watford Observer: The Hart family have raised £20,000 to help transform family spaces at a hospital The Hart family have raised £20,000 to help transform family spaces at a hospital

“We wanted to make a calming, comfortable, private space for families going through the same terrible experience – and at the same time mark Malcolm’s life in a positive way.”

The kitchen area and quiet rooms have been fully refurbished by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, with the funds raised by the Malcolm Hart Foundation used to purchase new furniture for these spaces and the atrium area directly outside the ICU.

In recognition of Malcolm’s kindness and compassion, two dedication plaques have also been installed in the atrium and kitchen areas.

Watford Observer:

Hayley Pannick, Director of Development at Imperial Health Charity, said: “We are so grateful to Ros, her remarkable family and everyone who has supported the Malcolm Hart Foundation in helping us transform the family spaces at Hammersmith Hospital’s ICU.

"The impact of Covid-19 has caused a frustrating delay in finishing this project, but we are thrilled the space is now finally complete and ready to support many more families during the most challenging times.”