Hospital shop to close for restaurant expansion

A charity has been told it must shut its shop within a hospital to make way for a restaurant expansion.

Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) said it had served notice to the Friends of Milton Keynes Hospital & Community (MK Friends) for it to close this year.

The hospital said it needed to increase the Eaglestone's restaurant capacity "to keep pace with growing demand" as it was built 30 years ago for a smaller workforce and a population that was half the size.

MK Friends told the BBC it would not comment further.

MKUH leases the retail space to MK Friends.

"We regret that this means, at some point in the next year, the Friends shop will close permanently," a spokesperson said.

They said the hospital was "immensely grateful for the many years of dedicated service" and it had spoken to the charity to offer support with identifying employment and volunteering opportunities within the hospital.

The hospital said it intended to maintain a trolley service to in-patient wards and had asked MK Friends if it wanted to continue providing it.

"If the Friends choose not to do so in future, the trust will manage the service with our own volunteers," MKUH said.

The restaurant development was in the early stages and the trust said it would "engage restaurant customers, staff, patients and visitors" in conversations to help shape the plans for the "much-valued facility".

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