Welcome and thank you for your interest in The Friends of the Royal United Hospital.
Friends of the Royal United Hospitals Bath (FRUH) are a family of volunteers, ex-volunteers and a number of paid staff, all working together to provide support to the patients and staff of the RUH.
A short history of The Friends of the RUH
The organisation was created in 1957 as a group of volunteers who wanted to dedicate their spare time to help the hospital. One of the founder members was Margaret Berry (Dame Mary Berry’s mother). Since then we have evolved our services and now provide the Friends of the RUH Shop and The Café at B18, as well as assisting on the wards and public spaces, and, tending to the hposital’s gardens.
FRUH is an independent organisation; it is not a department of the hospital. We are governed by the Charity Commission, and we hold Charitable Incorporated Organisation status.
As a Charity we have to have a specific formal purpose, which is:
‘To preserve and protect the health of patients of the Royal United Hospitals Bath by providing and assisting in the provision of facilities, support services, and equipment not normally provided by the statutory authorities.
The Royal United Hospital Bath is sole beneficiary of the funds we raise.
The charity is managed by a group of up to 12 trustees who are unpaid volunteers. Each Trustee provides us with a wealth of professional experience to assist in the proper governance of the charity. This involves dealing with policy, legal matters, finance, staffing, health and safety, liaison, and coordinating with the RUH.
Retail trading is our primary source of income, accounting for 99% of the money we receive and all surplus funds being donated to the hospital. The retail services are provided by a mix of paid staff and volunteers, as this allows us to donate as much money as possible to the RUH.
The Convenience Shop in the Atrium is open seven days a week and stocks a wide range of merchandise including sandwiches, ready meals, newspapers, soft drinks and nightwear, as well as a wide range of sweets and snacks.
The Cafe at B18 is a consistently popular refreshment stop for both RUH staff and visitors to the hospital. The Cafe team specialise in providing an extensive range of homemade sandwiches, rolls, and cakes which sell out very quickly. We also supply expertly made hot drinks and chilled beverages.
FRUH has a total of around 200 volunteers providing the RUH with their time from between two hours per week, up to three or four days per week.
FRUH works with the RUH management to identify roles where volunteers can make a positive contribution to the patient experience of the RUH, and most volunteers are supervised by RUH staff while performing their duties.
The influence of FRUH can be found throughout the hospital. With Welcome Volunteers helping to direct and assist visitors arriving at the hospital, as well as Ward Volunteers working with patients and staff on the wards and in clinics.
Our volunteer gardening team also care for the plants, hanging baskets and relaxing gardens in the hospital grounds.