A Whole New Way

Welcome to your newsletter from the
Cambridge Children's Hospital project

September 2023

A series of photos of children smiling and laughing.

Welcome to our Cambridge Children's Hospital newsletter!

Malcolm McFrederick is wearing a blue and white checked shirt. He has short grey hair and is smiling. He is standing next to a building

An update from Project Director, Malcolm McFrederick

An update from Project Director, Malcolm McFrederick

Since our last edition, the Cambridge Children’s Hospital project continues to gather pace and I am delighted to have joined the team at this exciting phase. Together we are passionate about realising our pioneering vision to change healthcare and bring together the treatment of mental and physical health, alongside world-leading research.

A bit about me: I have a long operational background in both acute and mental health Trusts.  I have also worked on several complex new NHS builds, most recently in London. These complicated programmes constantly face challenges but the Cambridge Children’s Hospital has a brilliant groundswell of support across the East of England, from the partner organisations, MPs, patients and our fundraising board. I am very impressed with how much has already been achieved with the project, and am looking forward to working with the brilliant team moving forwards.

As you may have seen in May, we published an update on the progress the project is making. The current focus is on the review of our Outline Business Case by NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Treasury. This will run into the Autumn. Meanwhile, we continue work to ensure our plans are in the best position they can be, with evidence of how the new hospital will work, what this looks like for staff and patients, benefits for the whole region, final costs, and how we will fund the hospital. The Government’s £100 million commitment for the project predates their New Hospital Programme so we are on our own path to delivering the hospital.

The last few months have seen the team attending events in many parts of the region and talking to people about their healthcare experiences and hopes for the new hospital. I am excited that our Youth Forum and Young Adult Forum have now launched. This brings together an enthusiastic group of young people to act as advocates for the patient voice, alongside our committed parent champions.

Thank you for your ongoing support for this important and ambitious project to deliver the first specialist children’s hospital for the East of England. You can see some new concept images of what Cambridge Children's Hospital might look like, below.

Best wishes, Malcolm

An architect concept design for the main foyer at Cambridge Children's Hospital. It has high wooden ceilings, with huge windows looking outside. It has a marble effect floor and trees and planting. There are people milling around.

An architect concept design of what the Cambridge Children's Hospital main reception could look like

An architect concept design of what the Cambridge Children's Hospital main reception could look like

An architect concept design showing a long coridoor with a bright orange reception area and big windows looking onto other parts of the hospital. There is turquoise seating and people walking about.

An architect concept design of what a ward could look like

An architect concept design of what a ward could look like

An architect concept design of the central courtyard at Cambridge children's Hospital. It is in the central area of the hospital and open to the sky. There are lots of plants and places to sit, plus raised areas for children to run and climb on. The sun is shining down on the scene from above

An architect concept design of what the central courtyard at Cambridge Children's Hospital could look like

An architect concept design of what the central courtyard at Cambridge Children's Hospital could look like

An architect concept design of a bedroom for a child with a physical health condition. It's light and bright, with pale green walls and pale wood behind the bed. The bed has white patterned bed covers. There is a screen on the wall and children's drawings. There is a green sofa with a father and son reading a book. There is lots of light coming in from the window

An architect concept design of what a bedroom for a child with a physical health condition could look like

An architect concept design of what a bedroom for a child with a physical health condition could look like

An architect concept design of a bedroom for a child with a mental health condition. It has a mint green wall and wooden bookcase. There is a chair with a curved back and a bed in the corner with a patterned bed cover. There is a lot f light coming from the window

An architect concept design of what a bedroom for a patient with a mental health condition might look like

An architect concept design of what a bedroom for a patient with a mental health condition might look like

An architect concept design of the Cambridge Children's Hospital central courtyard. It is open to the sky. there are trees and plants. You can see all five levels of the hospital in front of you, which has glass frontage so you can see people walking in the coridoors.

An architect concept design of what the central courtyard might look like at Cambridge Children's Hospital

An architect concept design of what the central courtyard might look like at Cambridge Children's Hospital

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An architect concept design for the main foyer at Cambridge Children's Hospital. It has high wooden ceilings, with huge windows looking outside. It has a marble effect floor and trees and planting. There are people milling around.

An architect concept design of what the Cambridge Children's Hospital main reception could look like

An architect concept design of what the Cambridge Children's Hospital main reception could look like

An architect concept design showing a long coridoor with a bright orange reception area and big windows looking onto other parts of the hospital. There is turquoise seating and people walking about.

An architect concept design of what a ward could look like

An architect concept design of what a ward could look like

An architect concept design of the central courtyard at Cambridge children's Hospital. It is in the central area of the hospital and open to the sky. There are lots of plants and places to sit, plus raised areas for children to run and climb on. The sun is shining down on the scene from above

An architect concept design of what the central courtyard at Cambridge Children's Hospital could look like

An architect concept design of what the central courtyard at Cambridge Children's Hospital could look like

An architect concept design of a bedroom for a child with a physical health condition. It's light and bright, with pale green walls and pale wood behind the bed. The bed has white patterned bed covers. There is a screen on the wall and children's drawings. There is a green sofa with a father and son reading a book. There is lots of light coming in from the window

An architect concept design of what a bedroom for a child with a physical health condition could look like

An architect concept design of what a bedroom for a child with a physical health condition could look like

An architect concept design of a bedroom for a child with a mental health condition. It has a mint green wall and wooden bookcase. There is a chair with a curved back and a bed in the corner with a patterned bed cover. There is a lot f light coming from the window

An architect concept design of what a bedroom for a patient with a mental health condition might look like

An architect concept design of what a bedroom for a patient with a mental health condition might look like

An architect concept design of the Cambridge Children's Hospital central courtyard. It is open to the sky. there are trees and plants. You can see all five levels of the hospital in front of you, which has glass frontage so you can see people walking in the coridoors.

An architect concept design of what the central courtyard might look like at Cambridge Children's Hospital

An architect concept design of what the central courtyard might look like at Cambridge Children's Hospital

The Whole Community

Youth Forum and Young Adult Forum

A group of young people and adults doing a thumbs up for the camera. This is a screenshot from an online meeting

Some of our Youth Forum with members of Cambridge Children's Hospital project

Some of our Youth Forum with members of Cambridge Children's Hospital project

This month saw the launch of our brand new Youth Forum and Young Adult Forum! Over 20 young people, aged 14-25, have joined the forums, so far. They come from all over the East of England. We will seek members' feedback on key pieces of work around clinical care and design, as well as asking for their thoughts and ideas as we progress.

Getting together as a team like this is so powerful to improve care for children and young people. We cannot do this without you.
Rob Heuschkel, Clinical Lead, spoke to Youth Forum members at the launch

In our first meetings, the young people talked about how they would feel best supported to transition from paediatric to adult services. This valuable feedback will shape current services, as well as future services at Cambridge Children's Hospital. Read more about the launch and sign up here. To have an informal discussion, please contact sarah.allen@cpft.nhs.uk

Engaging with under-served groups in our region

As part of our regional engagement plan, we are working hard to better understand the health inequalities for families in the East of England. Using NHS England's Core20Plus5 framework, we will be working with local people to run workshops and focus groups in under-served communities. If your community or organisation would like to find out more and help shape plans for the new children's hospital, please contact rosie.dean@nhs.net

Art workshops for families and staff

Three young girls standing by a tree. They are pointing to some mobiles they have made out of colourful wool and cardboard that are hanging from the tree

These children made some beautiful creations

These children made some beautiful creations

Our Signature Artist Amalia Pica ran sessions for primary and secondary age children, as well as staff at Addenbrooke's Hospital and The Croft Child and Family Unit. She encouraged them to think about how art might support wellbeing within the spaces. These ideas will help Amalia start to develop the artistic language of the hospital.

A group of young people dressed as giant sunflowers for a carnival parade

Freya (L) and Hadia (R) from Cambridge Children's Press Pack joined the parade at Luton International Carnival with other children, young people and families

Freya (L) and Hadia (R) from Cambridge Children's Press Pack joined the parade at Luton International Carnival with other children, young people and families

We have had a busy summer getting out and about!

Back in May, after months of planning, we joined Luton International Carnival. Our stunning carnival costumes were inspired by conversations about mental health with students from Luton Sixth Form College. Hadia and Freya from Cambridge Children's Press Pack joined us on the day alongside local families. Read more here.

A colourful marquee at a Carnival event

Our marquees gave a warm welcome to everyone in twelve different languages

Our marquees gave a warm welcome to everyone in twelve different languages

We have also enjoyed chatting to people about our plans at Peterborough Anglia Ruskin University Community Fun Day, Trumpington Community Tea and the Family Fun Day at Cambridge Regional College's Huntingdon campus.

~A little girl with a stack of building blocks. She is sitting on a bright blue blanket on the grass

Families enjoyed our wooden building blocks game with questions about what they would like from their new hospital.

Families enjoyed our wooden building blocks game with questions about what they would like from their new hospital.

Over the coming months, we are looking forward to other events, including Presents Galore at Newmarket Racecourse 24-26 November. Cambridge Children's Hospital will be a beneficiary of the weekend. Book your tickets here.

The Whole Child

Creating an accessible and inclusive hospital

We want to make sure the new Cambridge Children's Hospital will work for anyone who may need to use it.

Our lead nurses, Joanna Carr and Vicky Amiss-Smith, have been meeting with staff across our partner organisations, CPFT and CUH, to review how the floor plans of the new hospital will work for patients with SEND and/or learning disabilities.

Service managers, play therapists, nurses and allied health professionals all fed into the discussions, which covered different routes into the building, individual patient rooms, natural light, parking and drop-off options and tracking in changing rooms.

We will continue to involve staff and patients in these discussions as our hospital plans develop.

Supporting visually impaired people

Nineteen-year-old Sarah (below) from Cambridge Children's Network is visually impaired. She has designed a survey seeking feedback on how Cambridge Children's Hospital can fully support visually impaired people. You can fill in the survey for parents, carers and under 14 here. The survey for young people aged 14-25 is here.

A young woman in a blue top, holding a cymbal cane. On the right is an image of young children sitting at a long table sticking ideas about their school day onto a pieces of paper. They are laughing and having fun

Sarah, left, also planned a successful engagement workshop with children at Great Paxton Primary School near St Neots

Sarah, left, also planned a successful engagement workshop with children at Great Paxton Primary School near St Neots

Two women lean over a table looking at the floor plans for Cambridge Children's Hospital

Lucy Brumpton and Joanna Carr study the floorplans

Lucy Brumpton and Joanna Carr study the floorplans

The Whole Picture

Spotlight on Staff

In our new series, we will be talking to people who are involved in the Cambridge Children's Hospital development, and within the wider NHS, about why they are passionate about the project. Here is a snapshot from an interview with Dr Denise Williams, a retired oncology doctor who is now working with us to deliver the first specialist children's hospital for the East of England.

If you would like to view Denise's video with subtitles, please watch here.

The Whole Life

Cambridge researchers launch national DNA research programme

Children and young people, aged 0-15, are being invited to join a movement that will help pioneer new treatments and develop better services for others, including patients at Cambridge Children's Hospital.

As part of the D-CYPHR project, and with parental consent, you will donate a simple saliva sample and answer a health and lifestyle questionnaire. The information and sample are depersonalised and will join the NIHR BioResource.

By studying thousands of DNA samples together with health information, scientists can begin to see the big picture of how our genes and our environment influence our health.

Read more about D-CYPHR
A boy looking at the camera with his arms folded. He's wearing a maroon shirt.
"We are at the beginning of the most tremendous opportunity which will transform our understanding of genetics for children's health."
Dr Anna Maw, Clinical Lecturer of Child Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and Consultant Psychiatrist at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

In other news

MPs visit

Cambridge Children’s Hospital will be ‘a hospital without walls’. This means, where clinically appropriate, we will care for children and young people in their own community, close to friends, family and school.

In June, Helen Whately, Minister of State for Social Care, and Sir Chris Bryant, MP for Rhondda, visited Cambridge Centre for Paediatric Neuropsychological Rehabilitation (CCPNR), a service which provides a pathway from acute care into the community for children and young people with acquired brain injury. They heard from clinicians, parents and patients about the importance of 'going home'. You can read more about the visit here

A group of people smiling

MPs Helen Whately (centre in pink) and Chris Bryant with some of the CCPNR team and Josh's mum

MPs Helen Whately (centre in pink) and Chris Bryant with some of the CCPNR team and Josh's mum

Macie and Jasmine speak at King's College event

Macie and Jasmine, both 15, gave excellent speeches at a special reception for our fundraising campaign. They talked about their healthcare experiences, as a patient and as a sibling. Guests enjoyed speaking to them afterwards.

Two teenage girls standing near an ornate wall at King's College. both girls have long brown hair and are wearing smart navy dresses. the girl on the right is wearing glasses

Jasmine and Macie at King's College

Jasmine and Macie at King's College

Social media update

A teenage girl speaks to a mobile phone camera for a video. Another image of two teenage girls writing at a table, using coloured pens.

Our content-creation workshop with young people was fun and productive

Our content-creation workshop with young people was fun and productive

We are excited to announce that we have launched an Instagram account for Cambridge Children's Hospital! It is being co-designed with young people, who have been planning and creating content, including some fantastic videos. Please follow us @CambChildrens. If you haven't already, you can also find us on Twitter and Facebook. Visit our website www.cambridgechildrens.org.uk

Cambridge Children's Research Institute update

A woman smiling. She has short red hair and large hoop earrings.

Jo McPhee

Jo McPhee

We are delighted to welcome Jo McPhee as manager of the Cambridge Children's Research Institute (CCRI), which will be embedded within the new hospital, integrating research with clinical care. Jo says she's very excited to join the project, adding: "Through this integration we aim to ensure that new research discoveries and innovations can inform how we understand, diagnose, and manage the health of children and young people."

The front of a large hospital building with colourful facade and lots of windows. There are trees and people on the road outside. This is an architect concept image, not a real photo

An architect concept design of what Cambridge Children's Hospital could look like

An architect concept design of what Cambridge Children's Hospital could look like

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