Southampton Children’s Hospital

02/09/2025

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month we’ll be shining a light on the incredible work happening every day on the Piam Brown ward, our specialist children’s cancer unit.

This week we’re spotlighting the play team, who bring joy, comfort and creativity to children and young people during some of the most challenging times of their lives.

👋 Meet Claire, our dedicated healthcare play specialist, who’s been part of the Piam Brown family for 15 years.

Claire spends time getting to know patients and their families while engaging them in play and craft activities. Building a trusting relationship allows her to support them during tricky appointments and procedures.

“The best part about my job is seeing the children and young people smile, and knowing I’ve made a small difference in helping make that happen,” says Claire.

“I love being part of the Piam Brown team — we always try to make it a fun and happy place to be, working together to make families’ time on the ward a little more positive.”

Stay tuned throughout September as we continue to spotlight the amazing people, teams and stories from Piam Brown ward.

21/08/2025

👋 Meet Donna Austin, an advanced critical care nurse practitioner in our paediatric intensive care unit here at Southampton Children’s Hospital.

Donna is leading vital research to better support families of children with multiple and complex health needs.

She is also inspiring the next generation of nurse researchers at UHS, showing how research can drive real improvements in care.

Find out more from Donna's elevator pitch challenge 👇

08/08/2025

The results are in! 40 medals 🏅15 young heroes 💙1 unforgettable team 🙌

Our incredible transplant patients from Southampton Children’s Hospital have returned triumphant from the British Transplant Games 2025 with their most successful medal haul ever - 22 gold, 5 silver, and 13 bronze! 💪🎉

These young champions, aged six to 17, have all received life-saving kidney treatment and showed the world what resilience looks like.

We’re so proud of every single one of them - and grateful to the wider team including siblings, parents and staff along with supporters who made this journey possible Southampton Hospitals Charity UK 💙



Read more here 👇
https://www.uhs.nhs.uk/whats-new/press-releases/southampton-childrens-hospital-patients-triumph-at-british-transplant-games

04/08/2025

A huge thank you to our League of Friends charity, who recently purchased a children’s safety bed for our young patients with additional needs 🙏

“This bed provides a safe space for some of our children with additional needs to be nursed in whilst in our care, it takes the pressure away with regards to worry and anxiety about their hospital admission and allows for them to feel safe whilst with us,” says child health matron Jenna Burchmore, pictured with League of Friends chair Anthony Howard.

“I cannot put into words what a positive impact this will have for some of our children, thank you so much.”

🔗 Donate to UHS League of Friends here: https://www.justgiving.com/charity/uhs-nhs

01/08/2025

🎉 The British Transplant Games are officially underway in Oxford! 🏅🎯🏓

We're proud to be represented by a team of 63, including 15 amazing young transplant recipients, their families, and several of our staff.

The opening ceremony was held in the stunning setting of Blenheim Palace, kicking off with table tennis 🏓 and archery 🏹 – and it’s not just our transplant recipients getting involved… siblings and parents are competing too!

The British Transplant Games celebrate the life-changing power of organ donation and inspire transplant recipients to stay active, have fun and raise awareness of organ donation.

Huge thanks to Southampton Hospitals Charity UK for making our participation possible 🙏

Good luck to everyone taking part – we’re cheering you on 🙌

24/07/2025

With the school holidays starting this week, it's the perfect time for fun, adventures, and making memories. But we know it can also bring a few bumps, scrapes, or tumbles along the way!

The Healthier Together website and app are fantastic resources created by NHS healthcare professionals to help you make confident decisions about your child's health. Whether it's minor injuries, heat-related illnesses, or common infections, you'll find clear, trustworthy advice right at your fingertips.

💻 Visit healthiertogether.nhs.uk or download the Healthier Together app to stay prepared and informed this summer.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe summer holidays 🌞 💙

16/07/2025

Over a thousand families have now joined a newborn eye screening study at UHS👏

This national research is evaluating an imaging device to help diagnose cataracts, a leading cause of preventable childhood blindness at birth.

A huge thank you to the incredible research nurses and midwives based at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility 💙

Read more 👇

A newborn eye screening study is marking an impressive milestone at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust 🏥👏

One thousand families have joined national research that is testing how well a new imaging device can diagnose cataracts in newborn babies. Cataracts - which are cloudy areas that form in the lens of the eye - are the most common cause of avoidable childhood blindness.

The achievement has been made possible by an amazing team of research nurses and midwives based at our NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility 💙

Read more: https://research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/southampton-recruits-1000-babies-for-newborn-eye-screening-study

📸 Image credit: 42T Ltd (right)

14/07/2025

Meet Jacqueline Young, a Clinical Scientist in Paediatric Audiology at Royal South Hants Hospital 👋

She plays a vital role in helping children with hearing loss – from testing their hearing to fitting hearing aids, and even helping families understand what their child hears using a special hearing loss simulator👂

Thanks to the UHS Research Leaders Programme, Jacqueline is expanding Southampton’s hearing research, building exciting new collaborations and mentoring her team to lead research that makes an impact across the NHS.

Find out more 👇

🦻 Transforming care for children with hearing loss

Jacqueline Young is a Clinical Scientist in Paediatric Audiology at Royal South Hants Hospital.

She tests hearing, fits hearing aids, and helps families experience what their child hears - using innovative tools like a hearing loss simulator.

Jacqueline’s research has already helped shape national testing guidelines and improve counselling conversations.

Now, supported by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust’s Research Leaders Programme, Jacqueline is growing Southampton’s hearing research.

She’s forming new collaborations, and mentoring her team to lead their own research and contribute to evidence-based care across the NHS.

Read more: https://www.soar-southampton.org/rlp-cohort-5/jacqueline-young

11/07/2025

We were delighted to officially open our newly extended neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Princess Anne Hospital today 🎉👶🏽🏥

After nine years of planning, this much-anticipated expansion marks a major step forward in the care we provide to our tiniest patients and their families. It is part of a £10m investment into Princess Anne Hospital.

The new unit features modernised state-of-the-art rooms and more spacious bed areas, which creates a welcoming environment for families and a more workable area for NICU staff.

✂️🎀 The ribbon was cut by our CEO David French and Professor Mark Johnson, consultant neonatologist.

Victor Taylor, senior clinical operations manager for maternity and neonatal services, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the completion of our expanded NICU! This modern, spacious environment enriches the experience for our neonatal families - giving parents more time at their baby’s bedside and providing our dedicated staff with a setting that reflects the world-class care they deliver every day.

“A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this milestone possible.”
🙏💙👏

09/07/2025

👶Every breath counts, especially for babies born 12 to 18 weeks too soon. At that stage, even the basic act of breathing can be a life-threatening challenge.

UHS consultant neonatologist Kevin Goss is leading research that could make those first breaths a little easier.

As part of the UHS Research Leaders Programme, Kevin is investigating the role of choline, a nutrient that helps the lungs stay open by supporting the production of surfactant.

Find out more 👇

👶 Helping tiny babies breathe

For babies born between 12 to 18 weeks early, taking their first breath is a massive challenge.

Kevin Goss, Consultant Neonatologist at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Southampton, is working to change that.

As part of the UHS Research Leaders Programme, Kevin is investigating how a common nutrient - choline - could support lung development in very premature babies.

Why choline? It’s a key building block in producing surfactant, a substance that lines the lungs and keeps them open for breathing.

While healthy babies make this naturally at birth, very premature babies struggle to produce enough on their own, making breathing incredibly difficult.

Kevin’s research will explore whether adding choline to these babies’ diets could help improve their long-term health.

Read more: soar-southampton.org/rlp-cohort-5/kevin-goss

08/07/2025

Happy 10th birthday to the Southampton Oxford Neonatal Transfer service (SONeT)! 🎉🚑👶

SONeT is a groundbreaking joint initiative between UHS and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust delivering life-saving care to critically ill babies across the South. Launched in 2015, the service supports 15 hospitals across Thames Valley and Wessex and has now transferred or supported over 10,000 newborns 👏

Sarah Davidson, consultant neonatologist at UHS and clinical lead for Southampton SONeT, said: “Every day, we care for some of the most vulnerable babies and support families during incredibly difficult times.

“Being part of SONeT means we can extend that specialist care beyond our hospital walls – making sure babies across the region get the intensive treatment they need, when they need it most."

To mark the milestone, staff recently held a small celebration to reflect on a decade of care, recognising the far-reaching impact SONeT has had on patients, families and neonatal services across the region.

🔗 Find out more: https://www.uhs.nhs.uk/whats-new/press-releases/groundbreaking-neonatal-transfer-service-celebrates-10-years-of-life-saving-care

02/07/2025

🚴‍♀️ A HUGE well done to the 44 amazing riders who braved the heat and conquered a gruelling 100-mile journey from Evelina London Children's Hospital to Southampton Children’s Hospital on Saturday! 👏

They rode to raise money so that we can send a team of young kidney patients to the British Transplant Games, which begin later this month.

These inspiring games showcase the life-changing benefits of organ transplantation, helping transplant patients regain fitness, while highlighting the importance of joining the NHS Organ Donation Register and having those vital conversations with loved ones.

🙏 A big thank you to the Grantley Arms, Tichborne Arms and Cowherds pubs for keeping our riders refreshed with some much-needed pit stops along the way 💦

Next stop: British Transplant Games 🏅