Southampton Children’s Hospital

01/05/2026

It’s Patient Experience Week and our experience of care team have been out on the wards, spending time with patients and their families.

Today they were joined by the talented Dannii Murphy, who sprinkled a little musical magic across the wards, delighting our young patients — including Miles and his family 🎶

Moments like these really do make a difference 💙
UHS Experience of Care

15/04/2026

Last week for National Pet Day our play team organised some very special visitors 🐾

Barney, Gus, Mabel and Rory from Pets As Therapy brought plenty of smiles, cuddles and tail wags to our young patients 🐶

Children had the chance to bandage the dogs, take their temperatures and even listen to their heartbeats 🩺

For those who preferred there were also soft toy animals to look after instead — because caring comes in many forms 💙

A truly pawsome day all round🐾

14/04/2026

Well done to our amazing PICU ECMO team, experience of care heroes award winners for February 👏

Congratulations to our paediatric intensive care unit extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (PICU ECMO) team, who are our experience of care heroes award winners for February 👏

The team were nominated by a parent whose daughter was transferred from Reading in a critical condition, and just two days later had to be evacuated following the fire in the west wing on 1 February.

They said: “The ECMO team on PICU provided her with world class treatment and world class care. Everyone went above and beyond.

“The nurses calmed me, particularly Katie with her lovely, reassuring voice, while preparing all the equipment for evacuation.”

We are proud of the PICU ECMO team for their compassion, professionalism and dedication to patients and families — even in the most challenging circumstances 💙

Send us your nomination for this month’s award by 30 April: https://forms.office.com/e/Z0misQjAVS



UHS Experience of Care

05/04/2026

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated an Easter egg to Southampton Hospitals Charity UK.

🐣🍫 Your kindness is helping bring smiles to our young patients this Easter 💙

03/04/2026

Get the right advice if your child is ill this Easter bank holiday weekend. Download the Healthier Together app. 📱

It's a great, easy-to-use resource for checking symptoms. Features include:
🚦 Traffic light system
📷 Clear images
✔️ Yes or no answers
ℹ️ Advice on what to do

For more information visit - www.healthiertogether.nhs.uk

02/04/2026

Did you see Southampton surgeon Nigel Hall on the Good Morning Britain sofa earlier today? 🎥💙

Nigel, from Southampton Children’s Hospital and University of Southampton, has been warning about the dangers of magnetic toys.

He was lead author on a study that found around 300 UK youngsters were admitted to A&E in a single year after ingesting the tiny metal items. One in 10 required life-saving operations.

Watch his advice for Kate Garraway and Richard Madeley, alongside 12-year-old schoolgirl Bella-Anne Woodall who was hospitalised after swallowing a magnetic toy 👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hllMjceBYIs

01/04/2026

Our play team are hopping into action to bring plenty of Easter smiles to our wards this week🐰

Young patients and their families are enjoying a range of activities, from decorating Easter bonnets and baskets 🎨🧺, to taking part in egg and spoon races 🥚🥄

These moments brighten their day, lifting spirits and helping make hospital feel a little less daunting 💙

27/03/2026

This week we said a fond farewell to Carolyn Colasanti, who is retiring after an incredible 40 years working on our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) 💖👶✨

Carolyn (pictured on the right with CEO David French and neonatal operational matron Laura Campbell) has cared for more than 20,000 babies and their families over the years — all touched by her kindness and feeling lucky to have had her as their nurse 💕

Throughout her time on NICU, Carolyn, a sister, played an important role in providing specialist care for premature and unwell newborns. Her experience, calm approach and unwavering dedication made her a highly valued member of the team and a trusted colleague to all who worked alongside her.

Laura Campbell said: “Carolyn has been a steady presence in moments of both joy and uncertainty, offering not only clinical expertise but also comfort and reassurance to countless families. The lives she has touched are immeasurable, and the legacy she leaves behind will continue through every colleague she has mentored and every life she has helped shape.

“She has been a guide and inspiration to so many staff — including me as a newly qualified nurse 23 years ago — and her legacy, along with her much-loved ‘Carolynisms,’ will live on.”

Thank you Carolyn for your years of dedication to some of our smallest and most vulnerable patients and their families. We wish you a very happy retirement 💙

26/03/2026

Some of our young patients have been getting creative with these lovely Easter eggs 🐣

Help Southampton Hospitals Charity UK pick a winner 👇

VOTING NOW CLOSED

Easter competition!

We’ve had the loveliest time running our Easter egg decorating competition with patients in the Southampton Children’s Hospital 🐣💛 The creativity has been amazing and it definitely brought a bit of Easter cheer to the wards.

We’ve somehow managed to narrow it down to five finalists… but now we need your help to choose a winner!

React to vote for your favourite:

👍 Egg 1
❤️ Egg 2
😮 Egg 3
✨ Egg 4
😍 Egg 5

The egg with the most reactions will win an Easter hamper 🎁

“It’s been so lovely to see the creativity and excitement from our patients taking part. Activities like this bring a real sense of fun and normality during their time in hospital.”
— Clair, Children’s Hospital Engagement Coordinator

Please show them some love and get voting 💛

25/03/2026

We're pleased to be part of new research to develop a new treatment for childhood cancers.

Find out more 👇

🧒 Improving treatment for children with cancer

Researchers at the University of Southampton, with teams at MiNK Therapeutics, are developing a new immunotherapy treatment.

This will target aggressive cancers that affect children and young people. These include bone sarcomas, acute myeloid leukaemia and medulloblastoma. The work is part of a large effort, including teams at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

The aim is to develop a treatment that not only improves survival, but also does not have life-long side effects, protecting children’s long-term health.

Dr Ali Roghanian and Dr Salah Mansour are based at the University’s Centre for Cancer Immunology.

Read more: https://research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/improved-treatment-for-children-with-cancer-targeted-in-new-research

20/03/2026

Meningitis can affect anyone, but is most common in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults, and can become very serious if not treated quickly.

We understand that recent reports may cause concern, but the risk of Meningitis B (MenB) to people outside the Kent area is currently considered low.

Our emergency department is extremely busy, and should only be used for life‑threatening injury or illness.

🔗 Information on meningitis, including symptoms and when to seek medical help: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis/

20/03/2026

📺 Tune in to BBC South Today at 6:30pm to discover how music students from University of Southampton have been bringing harmony to our neonatal unit 🎶💙

They’ve been serenading babies and parents with soothing live music — including beautiful personalised lullabies created especially for little Bella and Adam🎵 👶✨

🔗 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cde5ykw26x3o