A delegation from the Children’s Hospital Alliance (CHA) met with clinicians and healthcare professionals from Cambridge Children’s Hospital last month, to share learning and expertise to develop this new world-first facility.
Cambridge Children’s Hospital joined the Children’s Hospital Alliance in 2024 — a national network of specialist NHS trusts working together to improve hospital care for children and families. The team presented at the inaugural conference of the Children’s Hospital Alliance in March, and a panel of young people with representatives from our youth forums quizzed the Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Rt Hon Ashley Dalton, on the NHS 10-Year Plan.
A few weeks later, a delegation from the Children’s Hospital Alliance then visited Cambridge to find out more about the new hospital. Their visit began with a tour of The Darwin Centre for Young People (CPFT) in Fulbourn, providing treatment for young people with a mental health diagnosis. They then travelled to Addenbrooke’s Hospital (CUH) and spoke with clinical leads on existing challenges and opportunities in paediatrics. The visit concluded with seeing the site of the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital, opposite the Rosie Maternity Hospital.
We notice in a lot of conversations about health that children are not at the top of the agenda. We want to change that. Joining the Children’s Hospital Alliance is a great opportunity for our future hospital to make waves and be part of change, before we even put a spade in the ground. We are advocating for children right now.
Malcolm McFrederick, Project Director at Cambridge Children’s Hospital
It was wonderful to meet so many passionate and dedicated people on our recent visit to Cambridge. We heard about a number of different areas of work, including improving mental health services for young people, research and the vision for the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital. We are committed to collaborating across our member organisations and we will be focusing on the learning from this visit to highlight further opportunities to improve the care provided for children and young people.
Alexandra Norrish, Managing Director at the Children’s Hospital Alliance
Cambridge Children’s Hospital is scheduled for completion around 2030 and is currently in the process of appointing a contractor to start construction in 2027, following the submission of the Full Business Case in 2026.
Find out more about the Children’s Hospital Alliance (opens in a new tab). Read their report on Youth Voices and the NHS Ten-Year Plan (opens in a new tab), which includes feedback from representatives of our youth forums.