Help upgrade our Infirmary to match our exceptional care

Times and needs have changed since our Infirmary was built. Help us to update it so the most vulnerable Chelsea Pensioners benefit from very best, in return for their loyal service.

Your donation will help us transform the Infirmary and the lives of the veterans there.

Although our doctors, nurses and care workers are outstanding, times have changed and the Royal Hospital’s Infirmary urgently needs updating to reflect the very best modern standards.

“The Infirmary is a beautiful building, but the model of care has moved on since it was built”

Dr Jeremy Tuck, the Royal Hospital’s Director of Health and Wellbeing.

Not only has our understanding of the care of the elderly and of veterans evolved, but technology and equipment have progressed, we have learned lessons from the pandemic which need to be reflected in our Infirmary – and we need to be ready for a new generation of veterans. The physical and mental challenges these Chelsea Pensioners will be facing – from limb loss to PTSD – will need to be taken into account in our health programmes and design. All these considerations have fed into our detailed plan for the upgraded Infirmary.

A new dining hall in the Long Wards will re-create the traditional Great Hall experience for Infirmary residents

Life-saving and life-enhancing innovations

Features of the upgraded Infirmary will include:

• updated technology, from life-saving falls detection to stress-reducing circadian lighting
• the latest equipment to support the Infirmary staff to deliver the best care.
• adaptations to take into account the needs of increasing numbers of limbless veterans
• a dedicated palliative care unit providing privacy, specialist care and accommodation for families.
• improved hygiene measures and a self-contained medical centre to reduce cross-infection and enhance confidentiality.
• A warm and friendly ambience in the residential wards echoing the living experience elsewhere in the Royal Hospital, making the accommodation feel more relaxed and homely and easing the transition from elsewhere on the site.

"The care is outstanding, but the Infirmary feels clinical compared with the traditional ‘long ward’ accommodation. It needs to be updated to make it feel more connected with the rest of the Royal Hospital community, to meet future needs and reflect best practice. The Chelsea Pensioners deserve the best.”

Our dementia ward will provide dedicated activity spaces and areas for visiting families.

Donate now to help transform the Infirmary and the lives of our most vulnerable Pensioners.