2018 | Evelina London Children’s Hospital

2018 | Evelina London Children’s Hospital

FROM THE WEBSITE: London Children’s Healthcare is part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. They are the second largest provider of children’s services in London. Evelina London provides comprehensive health services from before birth, throughout childhood and into adult life caring for not only local families but also providing an extensive range of specialist services for children with rare and complex conditions from across south London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Community services across the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark provide comprehensive healthcare from health visitors and school nurses to specialist input to prevent children with long-term health conditions needing hospital care. We have two community centres and 1,000 network clinics.

With themed floors based around the natural world, with the sea at ground level to the sky at the top, a conservatory, rooms with views, sunlight and fresh air, Evelina London Children’s Hospital was designed around the needs of children and their families. Inpatients are on the upper levels of the building, so children staying in hospital enjoy the best views. They also overlook the conservatory, the social heart of the building, housing a gallery and performance space and the hospital school.

INFORMATION:

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge became Patron in December 2018.

QUOTES:

We are absolutely delighted and deeply honoured The Duchess of Cambridge has chosen to become our Patron. The Duchess shares our passion for giving children and young people the very best start in life and Her Royal Highness’ support will help champion the life-saving care our staff are providing to our patients. – Marian Ridley, Director of Evelina London

EFFORTS:

February 28, 2017 – Visiting The Ronald McDonald House Evelina London – The Duchess of Cambridge officially opened the new Ronald McDonald House Evelina London. Her Royal Highness toured the new House and met Ronald McDonald House staff and Evelina London doctors and nurses. Joining in on a Pancake Day arts and crafts session with children, Her Royal Highness spoke to parents who have found that the new House eases the difficulties of having a child staying at Evelina London.

February 27, 2018 – Visiting RCOG and Nursing Now – The Duchess of Cambridge visited Evelina London Children’s Hospital to celebrate the launch of a global campaign to empower and support nurses. Nursing Now is a three-year campaign aiming to raise the profile and status of nursing across the world. Her Royal Highness met nurses and families on Snow Leopard Ward, Evelina London’s long-term ventilation unit, to learn about the different roles and career opportunities available to nurses.

December 11, 2018 – Visiting Evelina London And The Passage – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Evelina London for which The Duchess became Patron on this day. Their Royal Highnesses spoke to a group of parents about the care their children have received at Evelina London and joined patients as they took part in Christmas themed activities.The Duchess of Cambridge helped kick off the 150 year celebrations by helping patients who have been treated at the hospital to complete a commemorative artwork and to unveil a special anniversary banner. Speaking at Evelina London, The Duchess of Cambridge, said: “It’s always such a pleasure to come and meet patients and families who are here. A huge thank you to everyone here at Evelina for doing such an amazing job on a daily basis in supporting children and their extended families both here and also out in the community.”

July 01 , 2019 – ‘Back To Nature’ Garden At Hampton Court Place – The Duchess of Cambridge invited three Evelina London patients from our hospital and community services to the unveiling of her garden at the Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. During the event, Catherine joined patients for special outdoor activities, including looking for insects, exploring dens and a treasure hunt. The Duchess also spent time speaking to the patients’ parents and carers. The garden, which features a waterfall, bee-friendly wildflower meadow and a pond, was showcased at the Chelsea Flower Show earlier in the year. The design has been developed further to create additional opportunities for children and families to interact with nature and is double the size of the original.

September 10, 2019 – ‘Back To Nature’ Garden At Wisley – The Duchess of Cambridge, opened her Back to Nature play area at The Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden Wisley in Woking, Surrey. Inspired by The Duchess’ previous Back to Nature gardens, which Her Royal Highness co-designed, this garden included a hollow log from her RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden, and the wildflower meadow and rolling hill showcased at Hampton Court. The new play garden featured two connected tree houses and slides. Three Evelina London patients and their families were invited to the special festival event to mark the opening of the new play garden. The families enjoyed a range of outdoor activities including maypole dancing, a coconut shy, planting seeds, balloon modelling, learning circus skills and meeting animals in a petting farm. Miranda Jenkins, Deputy Director of Evelina London, said: “We are very grateful to The Duchess of Cambridge for inviting some of our patients to enjoy this special event. All three of them have recently undergone surgery so it was wonderful for them to have this experience after spending so much time in hospital.”

September 19, 2019 – Visiting The Family Nurse Partnership – – The Duchess of Cambridge visited Evelina London’s Sunshine House for Children and Young People’s Health and Development Centre in South London. The embargoed visit was to further her research and engagement with the Early Years sector. During her visit The Duchess met with the Southwark Family Nurse Partnership team who support first time parents, aged 24 and under and their children. Parents are partnered with a trained family nurse who visits them regularly from early pregnancy until the child is two. The Duchess met with parents who have been supported by Evelina London’s Family Nurse Partnetship team and heard their stories of success.

January 28, 2020 – National Portrait Gallery Workshop At Evelina London Children’s Hospital – The Duchess of Cambridge who is Patron of both the National Portrait Gallery and Evelina London Children’s Hospital visited Evelina London to learn more about the creative arts workshops that are delivered there by the National Portrait Gallery’s Hospital Programme. The National Portrait Gallery has been bringing workshops and artists into the hospital for the last 15 years, helping to support the health, wellbeing and happiness of the children who receive care there. During her visit The Duchess joined in with groups of children on the atrium, as well as visiting Beach Ward, where young people awaiting surgery were able to also take part. During other workshops Catherine joined children who were making sets and characters for their own pop-up theaters and practicing their photography skills with one young man getting the opportunity to photograph The Duchess.

December 15, 2022 – ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service – Children and staff from Evelina London Children’s Hospital were invited to attend the festive carol service at Westminster Abbey hosted by The Princess of Wales. The service recognized those who went above and beyond to help others who faced a challenging time across the past year and commemorated a lifetime of service by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Among the attendees were nine-year-old Minnie Sundt, who has been attending the hospital every five weeks for blood transfusions since birth, Dana Aryan-Warren, pediatric palliative care coordinator, and Lucy Harnett, a newly qualified nurse in children’s surgery, theatres, and anesthesia. It’s heartwarming to know that the exceptional care provided by the teams at the hospital is being recognized and appreciated.

December 05, 2023 – Evelina London’s New Children’s Day Surgery Unit – The Princess of Wales officially opened the Children’s Day Surgery Unit at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. The state-of-the-art facility is designed to provide seamless patient care, and it helps the hospital treat an additional 2,300 children annually. The space-themed unit features two operating theaters and was inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by staff, patients, and their families. Young patients like Ella Moth and Chloe Morley were also involved in the opening ceremony, with Chloe being the first to receive treatment there. The Princess of Wales also participated in an arts and crafts session with children and young people treated at the unit.

December 08, 2023 – “Together At Christmas” Carol Service – Staff members and family were invited to attend the magical carol service at Westminster Abbey. Individuals were nominated in recognition of their outstanding work in caring for children, young people and families. The service was attended by inspiring individuals and families from all corners of the UK, including midwives, health visitors, early years practitioners, nursery teachers, community volunteers, and members of The Royal Family. The evening was filled with beautiful carols, musical performances, and poignant readings, making it an extraordinary and festive occasion. The service airs on Christmas Eve as part of a special program on ITV1 and ITVX.