Cambridge Children's Hospital

27/10/2025

The Cambridge Children's Hospital building will sit across six floors, including a huge basement that will house much of our research institute with its six specialist centres. It will take around four months to excavate and generate tonnes of soil, which will be repurposed or recycled.

23/10/2025

Sign up now for an evening of talks about specialised research in infants, children and young people and how it is moving from bench to bedside, setting the stage for healthier outcomes throughout life.

Join us for a Free, In-Person, Open Event highlighting Translational Research in infants, children and young people
🗓️Thurs 20th Nov
📍Frank Lee Centre, CUH
⏲️Talks either 4-5pm or 6-7pm
📊Poster exhibition & refreshments in between talks
Book via: https://bit.ly/CYPafterEve
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust University of Cambridge National Institute for Health and Care Research Royal Papworth Hospital Cambridge Children's Hospital Cambridge Biomedical Campus

21/10/2025

Sam Behjati, our research lead for Childhood Cancer, was recently awarded The Francis Crick Institute Medal and Lecture for fundamental discoveries into the developmental roots of childhood cancer.
The Childhood Cancer centre in the Cambridge Children's Hospital Research Institute will focus on understanding the origins of childhood cancers, improving the effectiveness of cancer treatment and lessening the lifelong impact.
You can watch Sam's lecture here 👉 https://orlo.uk/AUUcA

18/10/2025

Play supports the parents, carers and families who are supporting a child in hospital. It helps them navigate procedures, adding moments of fun and laughter during difficult times and offers respite, the chance to grab a coffee or take a break.

For Play in Healthcare week, asked parents to reflect on their experiences with play in healthcare and this is what they shared with us.

17/10/2025

For Play in Healthcare Week, we invited young people to share their experiences of play in hospital and how it influenced their healthcare journeys.
They spoke about the positive impact of having a friendly face, support in understanding procedures, and access to games, books, and activities. They highlighted how these professionals make a real difference for children and their families in hospital settings.
Play remains central to our holistic approach to care for Cambridge Children's Hospital, and we are committed to making sure it is embedded wherever possible.

16/10/2025

Play is core to the Cambridge Children's Hospital approach to holistic care, both to support wellbeing during treatment and distract from the hospital environment. For Play In Healthcare Week, we spoke to Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Health Play Specialist Vicki to find out more about her role - and why she's so excited that play underpins the new hospital's vision 🎨 🧩 🎲

This video includes 16-year-old Max playing football with the team from Football Fun Factory who visited Addenbrooke's Hospital for Play in Healthcare Week 🏆 ⚽

06/10/2025

The development of hospital school is a huge part of our work at the Cambridge Children's Hospital project. It's not just about the physical school spaces within the hospital, but also how children and young people maintain connections with their usual school and how we prepare them - and their school - for reintegration.

George's mum Lisa, other parents and carers, and our young ambassadors, have been helping shape our plans for hospital school, and beyond. This CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association booklet sounds like a really important resource for parents and teachers.

Just George

It's normal for teachers or support staff to feel overwhelmed and uncertain about what to expect when supporting a child returning to school after a cancer diagnosis. They may worry that they lack the confidence or expertise necessary to support the child or young person effectively.

George was three years old when he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of soft tissue cancer, in May 2022. While in end-of-life care, George was able to start primary school, which was a huge milestone for him. Sadly, George passed away in October 2023.

His mum, Lisa, who was a Head Teacher, emphasised the vital role schools can play in providing support for children and young people with cancer. Lisa said: "Through my professional and now personal experiences, I believe it is crucial for all adults supporting the child or young person (family, education and health) to collaborate in the planning for the child's transition back to school (or their start to school) and to regularly communicate updates, share concerns, and celebrate successes, no matter how small.

"It's also essential for families to feel seen and heard during these challenging times."

Our booklet, 'Supporting a pupil with cancer: a school's guide', aims to lessen some of the worries teachers may have by giving simple, practical information and advice on a variety of issues faced by the child or young person and their family, and some ideas on how to help them within a school setting. From a Head Teacher's perspective, Lisa encourages parents to share this booklet with their child's school or teachers.

You can order a free physical copy or download the digital version at https://bit.ly/4fZRQ6s

03/10/2025

It's Friday! And what better day to share our new Cambridge Children's Hospital film, featuring children, young people, parents and carers who share our vision for fully integrated mental and physical healthcare, and research, all under one roof 🎬 👏 Thank you to everyone who is supporting our work on this unique project. We are building the first specialist children's hospital for the East of England, the only region without one
https://orlo.uk/uxZGE