Patients and staff at Milton Keynes University Hospital have been devastated to learn that the on-site shop run by Friends of Milton Keynes Hospital & Community is set to permanently close.
The shop serves hot and cold snacks and is hugely popular with staff, patients and visitors, who also use the facility to stock up on toiletries and all manner of other items needed during those unexpected hospital visits.
The 40 volunteers and trustees who operate the space were made aware of the decision in December. Five members of staff will also be made redundant.
"It's not just the shop that is an essential for many people," one volunteer told us, 'The trolley that we run visits the wards and often staff will use that for a little pick-me-up as they don't always get the breaks they need when they need them.
"We run the facility because we are passionate about being able to bring something positive to people when they are really in need. It will be a real loss - so many people are already telling us how much we will be missed.
"The hospital simply says there is nowhere else for us, but it is a sizeable site. We only require a small space."
In a statement to MKFM, a spokesperson for Milton Keynes University Hospital said: "MKUH needs to increase its restaurant capacity to keep pace with growing demand from inpatients, outpatients, visitors and colleagues. The current restaurant and kitchen facilities were built over 30 years ago and were designed to serve a much smaller workforce and a local population that was around half the size that it is today.
"After careful consideration, a decision has been made to expand the existing restaurant into the retail space that we currently lease to the Friends of Milton Keynes Hospital & Community. We regret that this means, at some point in the next year, the Friends shop will close permanently.
"The trust is immensely grateful for the many years of dedicated service provided by the Friends. We have spoken with the charity's leadership to offer support with identifying employment and volunteering opportunities for those who wish to continue their involvement with the trust because we know that the team cares deeply about our patients and the health of the city," they added.
"We also fully recognise how important the Friends services are, particularly the trolley, and we are working through what the future of those services looks like."
