Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, visited Cambridge Biomedical Campus last Friday to meet the clinicians and young people behind the first specialist children’s hospital for the East of England.
The Children’s Commissioner met the team developing the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital, including representatives from Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust (CPFT). Mental health and education are priority areas for the Commissioner. They discussed the new hospital’s unique vision of treating mental and physical health together, understanding the link between mind and body. Plans for the hospital school were also highlighted, where children receiving treatment will be able to continue their education with minimal disruption.
Dame Rachel de Souza said: “I was delighted to visit the Cambridge Biomedical Campus to talk to clinicians and the inspirational young people involved in the co-production of the exciting new plans for Cambridge Children’s Hospital.”
As Children’s Commissioner, I hear from children and young people all the time about the need for effective, community-based health services and I am looking forward to seeing how the Hospital’s innovative approach to treating mental and physical health will better support children in the East of England.”
The Chair of CUH, Dr Mike More, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Children’s Commissioner and show how this new hospital will provide a vital service, along with the opportunity to discuss many issues in serving children and young people today.
“So many patients are currently travelling many miles to reach specialist children’s services and this new hospital will provide pioneering treatment to patients right across the East of England.”
Dr Eileen Milner, Chair of CPFT, added: “It was great to chat to the Commissioner and find out more about her work on issues to improve children’s lives, including mental health.
“The new Cambridge Children’s Hospital will treat mental health and physical health together so that children won’t have to be transferred to different sites and only have one area of their healthcare addressed. This will be essential in successfully treating many physical and mental health conditions.”
Clinicians also spoke about plans for early diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions at Cambridge Children’s Hospital, to support children and their families. The Children’s Commissioner visited some of the existing children’s wards at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and heard from staff about some of the current challenges.
“It was fantastic to meet the Children’s Commissioner and see how closely our vision aligns with Dame Rachel’s aims for children across the country,” commented Dr Rob Heuschkel, Clinical Lead, Cambridge Children’s Hospital.
“Alongside integrating mental and physical health in our new hospital, we will work together with the embedded Cambridge Children’s Research Institute to deliver innovation to improve children’s health, as well as better understand early origins or physical and mental ill-health. We will work with regional partners to lead efforts to impact on disease prevention and early intervention for all our families and young people.”
As part of the walkabout, Dame Rachel visited the Cambridge Children’s Hospital site, where images of children and young people, and of the hospital itself, have been displayed on an 80-metre stretch of hoardings. Macie, 16, and Alisha, 19, who have been involved in the project for several years, spoke to the Commissioner about their experiences of being in hospital.
Macie, whose younger brother has a rare cancer, explained how the holistic approach of treating mental and physical health together will not just benefit the child, but the whole family. Alisha, who was born extremely prematurely at 24 weeks, talked about the impact of needing ongoing hospital care.
Later in the day, the project team welcomed other children and young people who have lent their images for the hoardings. They were invited to celebrate this project milestone and see, for their first time, their supersized photos. An interactive all-age workshop took place focusing on the theme of ‘celebrating milestones’.
“It’s a very visual thing, where we’ve accomplished the start of what we’ve been working towards,” said Macie, age 16.
The hoardings are a visible step forward for the new hospital, following the Outline Business Case being signed off by the Government in August 2024.”
Cambridge Children’s Hospital is currently in the process of appointing a contractor, ahead of starting construction, with work continuing on the final stages of planning through the Full Business Case.
We’re extremely proud to support the first Children’s Hospital for the East of England through Presents Galore. With 100% of ticket sales and all proceeds from the event being split between CCH and our two other charities this year, come along and enjoy feel-good festive shopping at its best.