The Children's Hospital at Westmead

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The Children's Hospital at Westmead

The Children's Hospital at Westmead is the largest paediatric centre for care and treatment in NSW, providing specialised treatment to sick children.
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Social Media Policy

The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s social media accounts are aligned with the Hospital’s key values and are focused on engaging audiences in conveying health messages and information regarding activities (including entertainment) as well as for fundraising purposes. We welcome and encourage our followers to engage with this page and content we share through open discussion,

questions and feedback but ask that posts by users are relevant and respectful. Content on this page is monitored by The Children’s Hospital at Westmead staff, and we reserve the right to remove posts that are:

• Offensive, divisive, aggressive, abusive, defamatory or intolerant
• Fraudulent, deceptive, misleading or unlawful
• Trolling, or deliberately derailing discussions
• Off-topic or business-related
• Violates the intellectual property right of another individual or entity
• Spamming in nature
• Commercial solicitation or solicitation of donations
• Uses obscene or offensive language

For further details, please read The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s social media policy. Available athttp://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/_policies/pdf/2015-9000.pdf

23/07/2025

Transport yourself to the year 2040. How does the world around you look and feel? How are people caring for one another?

NSW Health is inviting young people in Years 7-10 to imagine and design what healthcare in NSW could look like in the year 2040 and to share their vision through storytelling, science, art and innovation.

Participants will be given a Canva template that outlines what they need to do, as well as some handy resources to help them design a rich, detailed world. The only rule? Their future must reflect the health workforce, workplace, or healthcare in 2040—and it must be bright! 🌟

To get your young person involved, head to https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/workforce/future/future-health-worldbuilding-comp/Pages/future-health-worldbuilding-guide.aspx

🗓️ Submissions open 11 August and close 25 September. A finalist event will be held on 3 November.

22/07/2025

Exciting news! Optus has installed a mobile coverage site on the hospital roof, now fully operational. The new tower will significantly boost connection, ensuring a strong, reliable signal throughout the hospital to better support patients, families, staff, and the wider community.

Thank you Optus for helping everyone stay connected. 📱📞

21/07/2025

🚨 In NSW there has been a high number of children getting meningococcal ahead of the peak season.

Meningococcal is a medical emergency and children need to be treated in hospital.

Learn the symptoms of meningococcal in babies and children and how to protect them: https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/meningococcal-infection-factsheet

🚑 In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000) or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

18/07/2025

In the bustling corridors of the hospital, a unique initiative is quietly transforming the way children and young people with complex needs receive care.

The Quiet Pathway is a purpose-designed procedural room with its own entrance, offering a more seamless transition for children from the car, into the anaesthesia bay without needing to come into the hospital or sit in waiting rooms.

Led by the Department of Anaesthesia, the pathway is designed to provide tailored admission processes for children who require anaesthesia but face severe anxiety, autism, or behavioural and intellectual disabilities.

The room is fitted with recliners that resemble home furniture, dimmable LED lighting, soothing music, and discreetly hidden medical equipment to maintain a serene atmosphere.

Twelve-year-old William, who lives with Down Syndrome and autism, was the first patient to use the new pathway. His mum, Filomena, said the program transformed their hospital experience.

“William would often show signs of distress and become aggressive when inside [the hospital]. Once he escalates, it’s really challenging to soothe him because he cannot understand or process his emotions.”

“Being able to bypass the usual admissions process and avoid this distress for William was invaluable.”

The establishment of the Quiet Pathway was supported by Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation.

17/07/2025

Children and families from across our hospitals had the chance to explore the magic of Bubble Planet – a sensory universe where science meets imagination and bubbles come to life.

From giant glowing domes to dreamy interactive zones, every moment was filled with wide-eyed wonder.

Thank you to the team at Bubble Planet Experience for making this unforgettable experience possible.

16/07/2025

| "We are caring for the future, and that is an incredible privilege.

As the Medicines Information and Quality Use of Medicines Specialist Pharmacist, I help medicines make sense in the wonderfully complex world of paediatrics. I work closely with our amazing, specialist pharmacists and their multi-disciplinary teams to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines in children.

I have also led the creation of our online clinical decision support tools: Meds4Kids, Meds4KIDneys and the Paediatric Injectable Medicines Handbook - all of which are aimed at enhancing paediatric care with just a click.

Typical is never on the schedule for my day – and that is exactly why I love it. One minute I’m crafting a safe plan to deliver a cutting-edge medicine to a critically ill child; the next I'm wrangling medicine monographs on our databases to support our busy clinicians. Every day is a puzzle and I am here for the clinical plot twists, connecting the dots and translating science into answers that help our little patients thrive.

The best part of my job is working alongside extraordinary clinicians as we all work toward the same goal: safe, effective care for every child. It is a place where innovation meets compassion, and clinical excellence is powered by love." - DrPathma Joseph, Medicines Information and Quality Use of Medicines Specialist Pharmacist.

If you would like to pursue a career like Pathma, visit our Careers Portal: https://jobs.health.nsw.gov.au/schn/page/all-jobs-schn-539

14/07/2025

This little guy in the video has a very important message for you.

Smoking and va**ng are dangerous — for everyone. As an adult, that’s your choice but kids don’t get to choose what they breathe in.

When adults smoke or v**e around children, little lungs inhale the same harmful chemicals, and it can make them seriously sick.

Please, stay smoke and v**e-free around kids.

11/07/2025

Over the month of June, our doctors, nurses, trainees (basic and advanced) and allied health professionals made it their mission to save lives both on and off the clock.

The five teams competed in the ultimate challenge to see who could donate the most blood and with the tally now final, it can be revealed that the nursing team have taken out top spot. 🏆

The nurses made an impressive 31 blood donations over the month. This remarkable effort has the potential to save 93 lives.

A huge thank you goes out to the team champions, Alison Bradley and Emma Campbell for their dedication and hard work rallying the troops. 🙌

Congratulations are also in order for the doctors, trainees, and allied health professionals for their invaluable contributions.

While the Nursing team are taking home the trophy, the ultimate winners are the patients whose lives will benefit from these donations. 🩸❤️

If you'd like to donate blood, book an appointment with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood today. Visit www.lifeblood.com.au or call 13 14 95.

10/07/2025

As the hospital’s gardener, Brad spends most of his week outdoors. He loves making sure the plants and gardens are well manicured and tidy, but his real passion is art.

As a proud Kamilaroi man who was born and raised on Darug land, Brad uses art as a way to represent his culture and heritage. This is what inspired him to paint a NAIDOC-themed artwork and donate one to the hospital.

Brad’s artwork tells a story of connection and coming together, symbolised through the circles, and of celebration and heritage, symbolised by the natural-coloured curved lines. A closer look within the circles then reveals a deeper story of his ancestors, with traditional symbols representing people gathering, boomerangs, stars, waterholes and campsites.

“When I think of NAIDOC, I think of a big celebration of culture and that’s what I wanted to show through my artwork. I wanted it to be colourful and show different circles coming together to celebrate,” Brad said.

Brad’s artwork has been hung outside the main lifts on level 2 so if you’re visiting, taking a moment to stop by and have a look.

This year marks half a century of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience through NAIDOC Week. It’s a chance to reflect on the strength, vision, and legacy of Aboriginal people and to acknowledge the importance of cultural heritage and connection in shaping the future.

Discover local events and learn how you can get involved: https://www.naidoc.org.au

09/07/2025

| "I am very privileged to work at Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. It is a vibrant and bubbly place— and the staff are the same, as they strive for better patient care in children.

I am the Data Lead for the Clinical Trial Management System (or CTMS) at the Network, which means I support our clinical trial units to make sure we meet our data reporting needs.

After two weeks of starting with the Network, I felt like I had been part of the team for months! I hit the ground running with constant support around me. My day-to-day involves meeting with the clinical trial staff to capture study metrics and maintain compliance in the CTMS platform.

The most rewarding thing for me is the day-to-day opportunities I have in meeting with our many clinical trial staff and their teams. I am very fortunate to hear about the latest therapeutics being trialled and to be involved in conversations about how to build studies in a way that work to ensure efficient data reporting.

Although I may not be meeting patients, it is also amazing to hear from the trial teams and how these trials have helped their patients." - Grace Micali, CTMS Data Lead

07/07/2025

When Oneli tested positive for COVID-19, her parents faced a common challenge - she needed paracetamol but wouldn’t take it orally. Needing advice on what to do, they called Healthdirect.

Upon calling, Oneli's family were connected to virtualKIDS, where they were able to talk to a paediatric nurse and get trusted information about alternative options.

“We were so pleased with the service. The nurse was incredibly friendly and super knowledgeable,” Oneil's dad, Agasthya, said. “She quickly gave us a list of over-the-counter alternatives, and I was able to grab them just before the pharmacy closed. It made a significant difference.”

Living in a regional area with few after-hours GP services, the family found the timely, expert advice especially valuable.

“It was a huge help. We didn’t have to travel or wait for a doctor’s appointment; we received high-quality care and reassurance right from home. We’re extremely satisfied and wouldn’t hesitate to call back if we needed support again.”

virtualKIDS is a 24/7 nurse-led virtual care service, operated through Healthdirect .

📞 If your child needs non-urgent medical assistance, call Healthdirect for free on 1800 022 222, anytime, day or night. A registered nurse will help connect you to the right service so your child can get the care they need.

03/07/2025

Many of us don’t remember much from our first five years, but those were some of the most important and defining years of our lives.

Now it’s our turn — as parents, carers, aunties, uncles and grandparents — to help make those years count for our little ones. Even if they won’t remember them, these moments shape how they learn, grow and thrive.

From first words to big emotions, healthy eating to early milestones — find trusted, practical advice on child development for every age and stage at the Kids Health Hub: https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/kids-health-hub

Address

Westmead, NSW

Website

http://schn.health.nsw.gov.au/

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