Support our Christmas Appeal
Can you imagine waking up on a major trauma ward?
It can be terrifying. You might not know where you are, how you got there. It’s noisy, there are sounds of medical equipment beeping and humming all around you. People are coming and going, and other patients may be calling out. It can be extremely unnerving.
At King’s, we see thousands of patients each year from across London and the South East of England with serious traumatic injuries who face long and challenging recoveries, often in need of a calm and supportive environment to heal.
If you’ve woken up on our Major Trauma Ward, it might be because you’ve been in a traffic accident, a fire, had a fall or perhaps suffered a life-changing facial injury. Whatever’s brought you here, you’re bewildered, scared and overwhelmed by it all.
So, for patients, families and loved ones, we try to do everything we can to help take some of that fear, anxiety and stress away.
Help bring comfort to our patients
Gifts like yours mean that patients have somewhere to spend quality time with loved ones that’s not just a curtain drawn around a bed. That major trauma survivors have a calming sanctuary to recover.
Today, patients on the ward and their families have a wonderful new accessible Day Room, with soothing lights, a homely atmosphere and views of nature, where they can just decompress.
and décor bring nature into the
patient’s day
Support our Christmas Appeal
The Day Room offers respite to people like James.
James spent over a month on the Katherine Monk Trauma Ward after being airlifted to King's from Portsmouth. He was involved in a severe motorbike accident, and broke both his legs.
As a specialist Major Trauma Centre, King’s was the only place able to serve him and his injuries.
Spending so many days and nights on a small and busy ward was extremely difficult for James. He was in a lot of pain, his family was far away, and he’d lost use of both legs.
With patients experiencing severe injuries and often psychological trauma, the ward can be intense, with emotions running high.
But King’s staff were always there to comfort James, providing safety, reassurance and specialist care when all else seemed scary and uncertain. When he wasn’t sure if he’d survive.
"Every time they came to my bedside they were always smiling", James said.
“It made a world of difference.”
We need your help this Christmas
This Christmas, there will be patients like James spending the festive season on the Ward. While it will still be busy, with doctors, nurses and other specialists coming and going, the Day Room gives staff, patients and visitors somewhere to celebrate the day together. A place for families to spend restorative festive time in a homely, nurturing environment.
This Christmas, help us make a difference at King's by donating to our appeal. Because giving trauma patients a calm, normalising environment is to give them a much better chance of a good recovery.