Alder Hey

Alder Hey Welcome to the Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust & Charity page.

Alder Hey in the Park cares for over 450,0000 young patients and their families each year. We lead research into children’s medicines, infection, inflammation and oncology.

September is Hirschsprung’s Disease Awareness Month. Meet Ffredi, a cheeky, energetic little boy who loves climbing, dog...
05/09/2025

September is Hirschsprung’s Disease Awareness Month. Meet Ffredi, a cheeky, energetic little boy who loves climbing, dogs, and dancing. Ffredi also has a rare condition called Hirschsprung’s disease, which affects around 200 babies each year in the UK 👶

It’s a serious bowel condition that’s present from birth, caused by missing nerve cells from part of the bowel. This prevents the bowel from working properly, leading to blockages, infections, and other complications. Research at Alder Hey is looking into ways to improve the treatments available for those born with Hirschsprung’s Disease.

Ffredi had surgery here at Alder Hey last August, where he was fitted with a stoma. Since then, the family has made many return trips between their home in Anglesey, Wales and Alder Hey, as he needs ongoing care. Ffredi’s surgeon Ms Almond explains; “While Hirschsprung disease is a life-long condition, with appropriate management, patients are thankfully able to live full, active lives.”

Ffredi’s dad Arron said: “The team, especially the surgical staff and stoma nurses have been amazing. Thanks to them, we feel confident looking after Ffredi, even when he’s unwell. His stoma is now just part of everyday life, and he’s growing into the funniest, cheekiest little boy we know.” 💙

To say thank you, this month, Ffredi’s dad and his friend Jacob are raising money for Ronald McDonald House, which became a lifeline for the family during their many hospital stays.

Head to www.hirschsprungsdisease.co.uk for more info ❤️

| Adam’s completes incredible running challenge! 🏃 Recently, Adam Dixon completed his incredible challenge to run acro...
29/08/2025

| Adam’s completes incredible running challenge! 🏃

Recently, Adam Dixon completed his incredible challenge to run across the country in just 7 days for charity. Adam, who is the Running and Challenge Manager for Alder Hey Children’s Charity, ran an incredible SEVEN ultramarathons, totalling 208 miles, to raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity, Owen McVeigh Foundation and Rainbow Hub.

Averaging 29.8 miles each day, he ran for a total of 49 hours, pushing himself through both the physical and mental pain barrier. Adam said: “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but giving up was never an option! Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way - from the people who kept donating to keep me going to the complete strangers who washed my running gear halfway through the challenge!” 💙

So far Adam has raised just over £5,800 for these amazing causes. Congratulations Adam – what an fantastic achievement!

Today on we’re celebrating Bonnie, one of our much-loved therapy dogs 🐕 Since joining the Crisis Care Team in January,...
26/08/2025

Today on we’re celebrating Bonnie, one of our much-loved therapy dogs 🐕

Since joining the Crisis Care Team in January, Bonnie has brought comfort and calm to our children, families and staff. Her gentle nature and waggy tail have made a real difference, whether she’s supporting young people in the community, visiting children on the wards or being part of special events at the Alder Centre. Bonnie has also supported staff wellbeing through our dedicated wellbeing days.

Bonnie has a wonderful way of lifting spirits and bringing smiles wherever she goes. She really is paws-itively amazing! 🐾

| Recently, MediCinema held a special screening of the new Disney Pixar film ‘Elio’ for children and young people unde...
22/08/2025

| Recently, MediCinema held a special screening of the new Disney Pixar film ‘Elio’ for children and young people undergoing occlusion therapy (wearing an eye patch over the good eye to improve vision in the weaker eye) as part of their ophthalmology treatment.

The screening was organised as part of the British and Irish Orthoptic Society campaign , which offers support for children wearing a patch or being treated with eye drops for amblyopia.

Before being shown to their colourful cinema seats, the children and young people made their own space capes and clay aliens as part of 's Fun in the Foyer activities, and enjoyed snacks and refreshments funded by Alder Hey Children's Charity.

Sue Foster, Lead Orthoptist, said: “Both the children and their parents were delighted by the film and enjoyed taking part in the creative activities. The parents especially valued the chance for their children to meet others going through the same treatment, in such a positive and uplifting way.”

A partnership between the charity MediCinema, Alder Hey Children’s Charity, and Alder Hey, this state-of-the-art cinema is the only one at a standalone paediatric hospital in the UK, and the first cinema in a hospital in the North West of England 🎥

| Alder Hey has been ranked among the very best in the country in the 2024 NHS Children and Young People’s Patient Exp...
18/08/2025

| Alder Hey has been ranked among the very best in the country in the 2024 NHS Children and Young People’s Patient Experience Survey, commissioned by the Care Quality Commission.

The survey gathered feedback from children, young people, and parents/carers across 120 NHS Trusts, covering ten key areas of care. Alder Hey achieved outstanding results, placing in the top five nationally for every category, as rated by either children and young people or their parents/carers.

Pauline Brown, Director of Nursing, said: "We are incredibly proud of these results and the recognition they give to the care and compassion shown by our teams every single day. I want to thank every member of staff and all our volunteers for playing a part in this. Well done!" 👏

| After having his life saved by a pioneering new surgical technique at Alder Hey, 3 year old Conor is now thriving 🙌 ...
08/08/2025

| After having his life saved by a pioneering new surgical technique at Alder Hey, 3 year old Conor is now thriving 🙌

Mum Lucy said: “Thank you just doesn’t cut it. The surgical and support teams have been astounding. Even the aftercare has been absolutely amazing. The team were thanking us for being brave; and supporting them to do a new procedure which ultimately saved Conor’s life. They not only saved his life, they saved ours too.

"Since surgery, Conor’s speech and cognition has gone from strength to strength. Before surgery his speech had ground to a halt but now he surprises us every day with new words and phrases that he’s learned and it is amazing to hear his voice getting more confident every day. Conor is laughing and smiling when previously he was subdued and exhausted. Now, he’s swimming twice a week, loves trips to the library and the park and is thriving at nursery. He starts pre-school in September and last month we got to watch him graduate from nursery which made us so incredibly proud and emotional." 💙

We have a one-in-a-million post for you this week... 🤩 Alder Hey has developed a life-saving new treatment for a rare ...
08/08/2025

We have a one-in-a-million post for you this week... 🤩

Alder Hey has developed a life-saving new treatment for a rare condition called Vein of Galen Aneurysmal Malformation (VGAM), which affects just one in a million children.

3 year old Conor is among the first children in the world to receive this new treatment. Vein of Galen is a big blood vessel deep inside the brain that helps carry blood away from the brain and back to the heart.

When the vein doesn’t form properly, blood doesn’t flow in the right direction and can cause devastating consequences in children like brain damage and heart failure. Typically, treatment involves blocking the problematic vessels by accessing them through a blood vessel in the groin. But in Conor’s case, the route was blocked and the blood was draining to his vessels in the spinal cord and brain stem and slowly causing paralysis on his left side. Previously there would have been no other treatment option, until now…

Our skilled team of experts which included interventional neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, and interventional radiologists, designed a new technique to reach the malformation directly through the brain. Using our state-of-the-art intraoperative hybrid angiography theatre suite, funded by Alder Hey Charity, the team were able to perform a complex craniotomy to block the abnormal vessels deep in Conor’s brain. This pioneering approach redirected blood flow away from the spinal cord and brain stem, preventing paralysis and saving his life 💙 As a tribute to saving his son's life, Conor's Dad Sean will be running the Manchester marathon next year to raise money for Alder Hey Charity.

Conor’s lead neurosurgeon, Mr. Mallucci, said: "Thanks to our unique equipment and alongside a skilled team of experts, we were able to design this new technique to treat a condition which otherwise would have been impossible to treat.”

Conor had his operation on 5th March 2025 and was home by 15th March. He woke up happy and alert and asking for chips! He has just celebrated his third birthday.

Alder Hey's Community Mental Health, ADHD and ASD services were rated outstanding by Care Quality Commission. (CQC) foll...
06/08/2025

Alder Hey's Community Mental Health, ADHD and ASD services were rated outstanding by Care Quality Commission. (CQC) following a recent inspection.

The CQC inspected our community mental health services, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ASD (autism spectrum disorder) services for children and young people up to the age of 18 across Liverpool and Sefton.

CQC has also upgraded the rating for how well-led the service is from good to outstanding, caring was re-rated as outstanding, and the ratings for being safe, effective and responsive have been re-rated as good.

The overall rating for the trust remains unchanged and is rated as good.

Congratulations to one of our talented young people at Sunflower House, our tier four mental health inpatient unit! Thei...
02/08/2025

Congratulations to one of our talented young people at Sunflower House, our tier four mental health inpatient unit!

Their amazing artwork has been awarded 2nd place in the 2025 Quality Network for Inpatient CAMHS (QNIC) art competition 🎨

Each year, QNIC hosts a national art event, inviting children and young people from inpatient units across England to showcase their creativity, and we're proud that one of our own has been recognised among the best!

| Alder Hey shows Pride 🌈 We recently marked at Alder Hey with a variety of activities to celebrate inclusion, equal...
01/08/2025

| Alder Hey shows Pride 🌈

We recently marked at Alder Hey with a variety of activities to celebrate inclusion, equality and diversity.

Our celebrations started with the first-ever Pride event at Alder Hey. The day, made possible with support from our amazing Charity, included a windmill workshop by local artist Sophie Green, arts & crafts, flag making, face painting. LGBTQIA+ Staff Network colleagues from Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire Service gave children the opportunity to “drive” a fire engine and police van. Our hospital exterior was also glowing as we lit up in Rainbow colours to show our support for Pride.

Last Saturday, we also marched alongside NHS colleagues at the Liverpool Pride March, which was organised by Sahir House, Liverpool’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity. Thousands of people gathered to celebrate Pride in Liverpool by marching from the Pier Head along the waterfront and finishing at M&S Bank Arena.

We’re proud to announce the launch of the UK’s 1st dedicated vestibular screening programme, VIS-L, for babies aged 6 mo...
30/07/2025

We’re proud to announce the launch of the UK’s 1st dedicated vestibular screening programme, VIS-L, for babies aged 6 months to 2 years who have been diagnosed with permanent hearing loss.

Vestibular tests, especially for infants and toddlers, require special skill sets, knowledge, and dedicated cutting-edge technology which are now available at Alder Hey. The vestibular system, located deep within the inner ear, is small but crucial. When it isn’t working properly, it can really affect a child’s ability to move, play, and learn, but these issues often go unnoticed in young children. Babies with permanent hearing loss are at a much higher risk of vestibular dysfunction.

That’s why early screening and intervention are so important to help these children reach their milestones. This new service will make a difference for children like one and a half year old Dylan, one of the first to benefit from this initiative. Dylan has a condition called Pendred syndrome, which causes hearing loss and sometimes balance issues.

Professor Soumit Dasgupta, , Consultant Audiovestibular Physician and Clinical Lead said: “After years of striving to improve the quality of life for children with vestibular disorders and hearing loss, it is incredibly rewarding to see this programme come to life. Special thanks to our outstanding team.”

| Meet 9 year old Seirian, who has just opened her very own art exhibition after bravely battling leukaemia 🎨 Before h...
25/07/2025

| Meet 9 year old Seirian, who has just opened her very own art exhibition after bravely battling leukaemia 🎨 Before her diagnosis, Seirian was doing really well in school and was close to earning her black belt in Taekwondo. But shortly after turning 7, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) and started life-saving treatment at Alder Hey 🏥 During her long stays in hospital, arts and craft became a lifeline for Seirian and her mum Amanda and the play team helped her to use her creativity to stay positive. Seirian received a number of ‘Beads of Courage’ during her treatment journey, with each bead representing how brave she’d been. Amanda, began stitching the beads on to canvasses, to create a unique style of art 🖼️ Now, Seirian and her mum are showcasing their artwork at the ‘Seirian versus the Leukaemians’ art display, which is now open at Tŷ Pawb in Wrexham until the end of August. It features Seirian’s art from when she was in hospital and at home, celebrating every milestone. After a two and a half year battle, Seirian was thankfully able to ring the end of treatment cancer bell 🔔 at her local hospital. Amanda said, “The treatment was really tough, but Alder Hey gave us the best care. We hope this art helps others see the magnitude of and the bravery in the fight against cancer. The response has been amazing!” 💙

Address

Liverpool
L122AP

Telephone

+441512284811

Website

http://www.alderheycharity.org/

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Our Story

Since the NHS was established, Alder Hey has seen many changes, but has remained at the forefront of children’s healthcare.

Alder Hey was originally a workhouse, providing care for the sick. A hospital was built and opened its doors in October 1914, with 350 children taking occupancy of twelve wards. Alder Hey was also used as a military hospital during the Great War and Second World War.

During our history, we have become known for a number of famous firsts. Penicillin was tested on a child for the first time at Alder Hey and we were the first to establish a neonatal surgical unit in the UK. Other firsts include curing the most commonly encountered congenital heart defect and pioneering various splints and orthopaedic appliances.

In 2015, we opened a state-of-the-art hospital alongside a brand new research, innovation and education centre. Alder Hey in the Park and the Institute in the Park now cares for over 330,000 children, young people and their families every year and brings together excellent care, technology and design to provide the best possible healing environment for children and their families.