Its quite useful to know the facilities available to visitors to the Free.These are-
Flower shop at the entrance offers a good range of freshly cut flowers(but note that there are outdoor sellers around the corner as well as a large M&S, which is much cheaper).

A large cafe,whose stock has recently been improved to rise above institutional food,but again,there are Starbucks and other cafes offering superior fare outside the hospital.

A fantastic shop-which opens early at about 8.30 am-which sells papers,stationary, soft toys, slippers and every imaginable sweet under the sun from handmade fudge to humbugs as well as a superb range of bottled drinks(try the Kiwi and lime water).Definitely as good as if not better than local shops.
A wonderful art gallery on one long corridor where local artists sell their paintings with 10 per cent going to The Royal Free.The art work is surprisingly good and for around £200 you can get a very displayable original oil painting.I always stop here for a quick browse-original art for the price of a print has to be worth writing home about!

Nobody likes hospitals but if you have to go to one, then you may as well feel at ease and make it as pain free as possible. Royal Free Hospital is situated in the lovely area of Belsize Park and is only a 5 minute walk from the tube station. It is a massive hospital but it doesn’t lose the personal touch. Staff are friendly and informative. I have had an operation there and considering the NHS doesn’t always have positive feedback, I must say that both the treatment and aftercare was fantastic and after the operation, I was placed in a peaceful, comfortable room to recover. Unlike a lot of hospitals, it didn’t feel like the staff were in a hurry to kick you out because they needed the room. The hospital has a lot of facilities including a very good Travel Clinic. It is private but I thought the charges were reasonably priced. The staff again are very informative and covered any queries I had. Also it was refreshing that I literally turned up and was seen immediately. Appointments are recommended. There is also a good cafe in the hospital, well priced and good choices of hot and cold refreshments. The only downside is the parking prices are steep, typical of a hospital but if you carry on down Pond Street and bear left, you can park in the park’s car park at probably one of the cheapest car parks in London!

If you have to go to hospital, this is the place to go. The staff are really friendly and caring, and my grandma was so impressed with them all after she fell over recently that she insisted I review them on here!