July 2025
WELCOME
to our Cambridge Children's Hospital newsletter
A cutway image of Cambridge Children's hospital showing all the levels of the building and the different rooms. It's like an open dolls house
Hello from Vicky Amiss-Smith,
Cambridge Children's Lead nurse
There is a real buzz in the Cambridge Children’s Hospital offices as we prepare to announce our construction partner. We are excited to share this with you next month!

It’s now all hands on deck preparing our Full Business Case for submission to Government next year. We will be thinking further about the detail of what’s inside the hospital, the interior design, how people will find their way around, and how it will work in practice for patients, visitors and staff. We will continue to involve children, young people, parents, carers and our NHS and University colleagues in these discussions.

In this newsletter, you can read how our vision for integrated mental and physical health care is capturing international attention, as well as a successful research trial that shows how this model of care can lead to positive outcomes for patients.

Our fundraising campaign continues to gather strength and we are grateful for the time and commitment of our regional ambassadors and corporate partners in helping us reach our goal.

Finally, do have watch of our latest Cambridge Children’s Hospital video, which really captures why this new hospital is so important.

Best wishes

Vicky
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Our top stories
Research trial inspired by the Peanuts comic ‘Lucy Booth’ shows benefits of integrated care
A colourful booth that looks like a photo booth, with an image of Lucy from the Peanuts comic on it. Lucy has black hair and a red top. The booth is surrounded by a red ribbon and balloons. It's in a hospital foyer
A trial of a new mental health drop-in service for children attending paediatric settings around England has shown significant reductions in emotional and behavioural difficulties and improved quality of life, with the cost of treatment reduced by half. Clinicians behind the ‘Lucy Booth’ trial were inspired by the comic Peanuts character Lucy and her psychological booth where she provides advice to other characters’ problems.
“By meeting children and their families with emotional and behavioural problems before they were too severe, we could treat them early and prevent them getting worse.”
Professor Isobel Heyman, Clinical co-lead for mental health
Read about the research trial
Cambridge Children’s Hospital team takes pioneering vision to the international stage
Members of the Cambridge Children’s Hospital team were invited to present at events in Portugal and Denmark, bringing the vision of fully integrated mental and physical healthcare to global audiences. Lead nurse Vicky Amiss-Smith and Kate Bradley from healthcare planners MJ Medical presented at the 25th International Foundation for Integrated Care conference in Lisbon. Meanwhile Professor Isobel Heyman was a keynote speaker at the Annual Educational Symposium in Psychiatry at Aarhus University in Denmark. Read the story.
“It was great to hear about how models of integrated care are being shaped and delivered across a range of care settings. We were listening and learning and thinking about how that information can help shape the work which is happening back at home for Cambridge Children’s Hospital.”
Vicky Amiss-Smith, Lead nurse
Our Community
Frontrunners transformation programme launches 
A group of around 20 people smiling together. These are the first of the Cambridge Children's Hospital Frontrunners
After many months of planning, the Cambridge Children’s Hospital project team was delighted to welcome its first cohort of staff into the Frontrunners transformation programme. Staff from our partner organisations CUH and CPFT, and Cambridgeshire Community Services, are working on projects to improve their current services, which will inform new ways of working at Cambridge Children’s Hospital.
“Together we are creating the building blocks of our future integrated workforce and new models of holistic, exceptional care for children, young people, and their families.”
Kelsey Graber, Senior Project Manager, Cambridge Children's Hospital
Read about Frontrunners
a young woman with a stripey t shirt and her hair pinned up by clips, sitting around a table with other young people
Children, young people, and carers are helping shape the future hospital
Thank you!
A big thank you to all our brilliant volunteers – children, young people, parents and carers – who are lending their voices to the Cambridge Children’s Hospital project. They are helping create a hospital that will work for our future patients and those around them. One of our Parent Advocates captures the importance of this engagement in her article ‘Experts by Experience’.
Young people, parents and carers tackle big subjects
Having a brand-new 35,000 sq ft hospital to navigate will be no mean feat. We are grateful to our Parent Carer Voice for sharing their experiences and ideas about wayfinding. Our Youth and Young Adult Forums have been thinking about the use of AI in healthcare and reviewing how the project has used their feedback and ideas. We are welcoming new members to join our youth and parent groups.
Learn more about our collaboration opportunities
Family activity day
We were delighted to join the activity day for children who have been affected by cancer, and their families. Organised by the haematology and oncology team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, there were inclusive sports, arts and crafts, and delicious ice creams. It was a great opportunity to share our plans for Cambridge Children’s Hospital, and the youngsters enjoyed our clay activity.
A little girl with fair brown hair and a lilac jumper, playing with a clay activity. she is sticking her tongue out in concentration
The Whole Child
“At Cambridge Children’s Hospital they will know the triggers
and what kids need. Treating mental and physical health together is very important.”
Cerys, 16
Cerys from Bedfordshire, who has managed complex physical health conditions since birth, is throwing her support behind Cambridge Children’s Hospital. Cerys, 16, is now a member of our Youth Forum and is a passionate advocate for our vision of integrated mental and physical healthcare. Read Cerys's story.
The future of play in hospital
As a paediatric oncologist, our clinical lead Dr Denise Williams saw first-hand the huge benefits of play for young patients and their families. At the Society of Health Play Specialists 50th anniversary conference in June, Denise presented the Cambridge Children’s Hospital vision for play – a key element of our holistic care model.
Read about our vision for play
“At Cambridge Children’s Hospital, we want to ensure that a playful approach happens wherever you work in the hospital, right from the moment a child walks through the door. Play should be everyone’s business.”
Dr Denise Williams
The Whole Life
Evidence shows eating together can improve outcomes for children in hospital
A sketch by a teenager who is reflecting on 'homeley'. There is a sketch of a table laid out for dinner, with a plant on the table. There is a big TV screen saying eastenders and a sketch of a mat that says Home
A young person at an inpatient mental health unit sketches out what 'homely' means to him
The research and clinical team working on the development of the Cambridge Children’s Hospital ‘Food, with Care’ manifesto have authored an article which shows eating together in hospital could have a range of benefits for children’s health and wellbeing. It draws on existing research and new data gathered from children, young people, parents and carers, including members of Cambridge Children’s Network.
Read highlights from the study
New centre aims to transform physical and mental health of children with inflammatory bowel diseases
Inflammatory bowel diseases can have a significant impact on an individual’s mental health. The new Cambridge Centre for Children’s Gut Health will bring world-class patient care, cutting-edge research, and mental health support into one place. Read more about the new centre.
Our Campaign
Cheffins race towards their fundraising goal 
Celebrating their 200th Anniversary this year, Cheffins has pledged to raise £200,000 for charity, including funding a dedicated playroom at Cambridge Children’s Hospital. The East Anglian property and land firm have already raised £88,000 in just six months. Read more.
“Our team has shown tremendous dedication and creativity in their fundraising efforts, and we’re only just getting started.
The generosity from our clients and wider community has also been incredibly moving.”
Bill King, Chairman, Cheffins
An image of the inside of a marquee with lots of union jack flags hanging from the ceiling, with people sitting in posh dresses and black tie suits, sitting at tables. The room is packed with people
The Waterloo Ball
Stirtloe House was the spectacular historical setting for the Waterloo Ball, hosted by Cambridge Children’s Hospital Ambassador, Bronwen Angel and her husband Toby. The evening was enjoyed by 300 guests and raised an incredible £100,000 for the new hospital.
Extreme fundraisers
A new show on Cambridge Radio - ACT’s Amazing People – recently featured some incredible fundraisers. Ed Tollemache ran the Marathon des Sables, while his sister Selina Hopkins, a Cambridge Children’s Hospital Ambassador and her niece, Jenny, took to the skies for a sponsored wing walk. Dedicated knitter and fundraiser Margaret Seaman talked about her woolly creations of famous landmarks that have raised an impressive £30,000 for the new hospital. Listen here.
Six desert ultra marathons for Ed!
A woman in a red boiler suit standing on the wing of a yellow and black bi plane with her arms outstretched, awaiting take off. She is smiling at the camer and the sky is bright blue
A daring adventure for Selina and Jenny!
Margaret with her woolly Buckingham Palace!
Find out more about our fundraising campaign
Other News
Cambridge Children's Hospital team join Naked Scientist podcast
Youth mental health was the focus for a recent Naked Scientists podcast. Our mental health research experts talked about early intervention, data, and integrated mental and physical healthcare, while Charlotte from our Young Adult Forum opened up about the challenges she faced in childhood.
"After I came out of surgery, I had to wear a back brace for a year. I wasn't able to do things I loved. It almost felt that people were looking at me differently and treating me as different from them. That just led to such a decline in my mental health."
Charlotte, Young Adult Forum member
Listen to the podcast
Regional Clinical Advisory Board launches
Our Regional Clinical Advisory Board launched this month, with leading clinical and transformation professionals from around the East of England, and parent and youth representatives. Ahead of our Full Business Case submission next year, they will be looking at how we can work collaboratively with our regional colleagues to support the improvement of physical and mental health provision in the region, and maximise benefit for children, young people and their families.
Unravelling the origins of childhood cancer
Join Professor Sam Behjati at The Royal Society on October 10th 6.30pm for his Francis Crick Prize Lecture about the origins of childhood cancer. You can find out more information about the event and how to join in person or online here. This event is free to attend.
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