On 24 September, Esharelife Foundation was pleased to visit Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, one of the UK’s leading centres for paediatric healthcare. Our Trustee, Zilah Skerritt, was warmly welcomed by Amanda Jones, Philanthropy Manager, and colleagues from the Philanthropy Team for an insightful visit exploring the hospital’s work and its ambitious plans for the future.
During the visit, Zilah was given a tour of the Cardiac Unit in its current state and had the opportunity to meet with senior members of the cardiac team. They shared an insight into the specialist care provided to children with complex heart conditions, as well as the challenges facing the unit and their plans to transform the environment in which this care is delivered.
Transforming Cardiac Care
Alder Hey is one of the UK’s Level 1 Children’s Heart Centres, the highest designation for paediatric cardiac services outside London. Each year, the hospital treats more than 1,600 cardiac inpatients and delivers more than 17,000 outpatient appointments.
As survival rates for children born with congenital heart disease continue to improve, more children are living longer and healthier lives following increasingly complex interventions. This success, however, has also brought increasing demand and greater pressure on facilities that were not designed for the scale and complexity of care required today.
Alder Hey is therefore embarking on an ambitious transformation of its Cardiac Heart Unit, creating a purpose-built cardiac hub designed around the needs of children and their families.
The new unit will bring together inpatient, day case and elements of outpatient care in a more integrated environment. Plans include a new specialist bed and nursing model, dedicated counselling and consent rooms, improved waiting and parent facilities, an expanded play area and a redeveloped outdoor space.
The transformation will also introduce advanced clinical technology, including a state-of-the-art echo laboratory, 4D echocardiography and upgraded digital infrastructure to support faster diagnosis, improved communication and more efficient patient pathways.
For children and families who may return to Alder Hey throughout their lives, the vision is to create an environment that combines clinical excellence with comfort, familiarity and support.
The Difference MediCinema Makes
The visit also included a tour of MediCinema, a particularly special facility within the hospital.
MediCinema provides children staying at Alder Hey, together with their families, with the opportunity to experience specially arranged film screenings while they are receiving treatment in hospital. For children who may be facing long or difficult periods away from home, being able to enjoy a film together as a family can provide a welcome sense of normality and a much-needed moment of escape.
Seeing the facility first-hand highlighted the important role that spaces such as MediCinema can play alongside medical treatment, supporting the emotional wellbeing of children and their families during challenging times.
Supporting Alder Hey’s Vision
The visit provided Esharelife Foundation with a valuable opportunity to better understand Alder Hey’s work, the needs of its patients and families, and the vision for the next generation of paediatric cardiac care.
Esharelife Foundation is delighted to be involved in supporting Alder Hey Children’s Charity and its important work to improve the lives of children and families. The transformation of the Cardiac Heart Unit represents an ambitious step towards creating a modern, sustainable and integrated centre of excellence for children living with heart disease.
Esharelife Foundation extends its sincere thanks to Amanda Jones, Philanthropy Manager, and all her colleagues at Alder Hey for their warm welcome, for taking the time to show us around the hospital and for sharing their plans and vision.
We look forward to continuing our support and following the exciting developments at Alder Hey as this important work progresses.