Evelina London Children's Hospital celebrates 20 years of life-changing care

Evelina London is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its iconic hospital building. This marks two decades of delivering specialist care to babies, children, young people, and their families across London, south east England and further afield.

Since opening its doors in 2005 on Lambeth Palace Road, Evelina London Children's Hospital has evolved from being a pioneering hospital building into one of the UK's leading centres for specialist paediatric care. At the time it was the first new children's hospital to be built in London for 100 years. Over the past 20 years, the hospital has:

• tripled the number of children it cares for
• expanded its services to include more than 30 specialties, from cardiology to complex surgery
• become a hub for cutting-edge research and innovation, partnering with academic institutions to improve outcomes for children worldwide

The hospital has grown physically too, with the opening of the Children's Day Treatment Centre next door in 2023, and plans underway for a new hospital building to meet increasing demand.

Gubby Ayida, Chief Executive of Evelina London Women's and Children's Clinical Group, said: "Evelina London Children's Hospital is a beacon of hope, compassion and excellence for thousands of babies, children, young people and their families.

Over the past 20 years, we've seen extraordinary advances in children's medicine, but what has remained constant is our unwavering commitment to putting children and families at the heart of everything we do. This milestone is a celebration of our staff, our patients, and the community that supports us.

Costing £60 million to build, construction was made possible by a £50 million grant from Guy's and St Thomas' Charity and £10 million from the NHS. The Evelina Children's Hospital Appeal additionally raised around £10 million to furnish and kit out the new hospital. Ongoing support from Evelina London Children's Charity has ensured that patients can continue to benefit from the latest technologies, equipment and research in a child-friendly environment.

The hospital has seen incredible firsts and innovations take place inside its doors including:

• developing the UK's first 3D ultrasound imaging system, improving treatment for children with scoliosis
• treating the youngest child in the world at the time with deep brain stimulation to treat a muscle movement condition
• carrying out the UK's first paediatric robotic surgical procedure for testicular cancer
• treating the first baby in the UK with spinal muscular atrophy with the life-saving gene therapy, Zolgensma
• taking the world's first 3D MRI scans of the fetal heart, enabling better diagnosis of heart conditions in unborn babies

One of the first patients through the new children's hospital doors in 2005 was Zaki, who was born in the maternity unit at neighbouring St Thomas' Hospital with a heart condition called truncus arteriosis. This rare congenital heart defect causes oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich blood to mix.

Zaki's mum, now a lead paediatric echocardiographer at Evelina London, found out at her 20-week scan that her son would be born with the condition. Professor John Simpson, who still works at the hospital today as a consultant in the fetal cardiology team, met with the family and supported them through this diagnosis and treatment in the Trust's fetal cardiology department.

After he was born, Zaki was first admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Guy's Hospital and was moved to the new Evelina London Children's Hospital building when it opened its doors.

Before the age of 12, Zaki underwent 3 surgeries at Evelina London, supported by the specialist cardiology team and with surgery led by Professor David Anderson.

Zaki, now 20-years-old, is a student of law and social anthropology at SOAS University of London. He said: "I am extremely fortunate to have received the level of care and compassion that I have had at Evelina London. I feel so grateful to the team.

Recognising on a very personal level the impact of the team's dedication has driven us, as a family, to fundraise for the department on more than one occasion. I think I will always have a connection with Evelina London, and I hope to continue to support its work long into the future.

"Professor Simpson and Professor Anderson have known me since before I was born and throughout the course of my life I have come to know and respect them a great deal. I feel privileged to have been under their care. They really are the very best I could have hoped to have to look after me."

Professor John Simpson, professor of paediatric and fetal cardiology, has worked at the hospital for 20 years, beginning his career at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust as a research fellow at Guy's Hospital 32 years ago. He said: "I have a vivid memory of Zaki and his family during the period we moved to the new hospital building. It must have been an incredibly difficult time for them as a family having such an unwell child. It is an incredible thing to now see Zaki as a young man who has such a promising life ahead of him.

"I recall moving to the new hospital building 20 years ago as a really uplifting experience. The design of the wards which meant that children could see out through the glass into the atrium was a revolutionary development at the time.

The most impressive feature of the new building was the confidence it inspired among many patients. It genuinely gave them a real belief that we were, and still are, trying to do the very best for them.

As part of the celebrations, a special message was also shared from Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales, who has served as patron of Evelina London Children's Hospital since 2018:

"As Patron of Evelina, I'm delighted to join everyone at Evelina London Children's Hospital in celebrating the 20th anniversary of its iconic hospital building.

"Over the past two decades, this extraordinary space has enabled Evelina London to care for nearly three times as many children and young people as when it first opened. It is a place that symbolises love, healing and hope and has had such an impact on countless lives.

"As I know from my visits, the building's bright, welcoming spaces and wonderful light-filled atrium ensure children feel safe, supported and nurtured as they face whatever challenges lie ahead.

"What makes this building so special is the remarkable staff, whose compassion and expertise shine through in every corner of the hospital, and create an environment where families feel cared for and uplifted.

"Looking ahead, I am filled with hope for Evelina's future. As it continues to grow, even more children will benefit from the world-class care that defines Evelina, a place where healing begins with connection, and every child is cherished."

As Evelina London Children’s Hospital looks to the future, it remains dedicated to delivering outstanding care, pioneering research, and a nurturing environment for every child and family who comes through its doors.