Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Description

Our Mission
Childrens fund raising charities

Birmingham Childrens Hospital Charities is an independent registered charity established under s51 of the NHS Act 2006 and registered with the Charity Commission registered number 1074850 to raise and receive legacies and donations for Birmingham Childrens Hospital Our mission is to make a real difference to the children at Birmingham Childrens Hospital their families and the staff who treat them by providing additional facilities equipment and research and by creating a caring environment for all who use the Hospital

History

Our History
Birmingham Childrens Hospital started life in the heart of Birmingham opening in January 1862 in the former Eye Infirmary in Steelhouse Lane

Thomas Heslop 19th century physician and reformer founded the Birmingham and Midland Free Hospital for Sick Children because he was convinced that children could not be treated adequately in adult general hospitals

In 1869 financed by charitable donations BCH transferred to a former lyingin hospital in Broad Street Nearly fifty years later in 1913 the foundation stone of a purposebuilt hospital in Ladywood was laid funded by a Public Appeal The Childrens Hospital Brick League was inaugurated For every guinea from a child the donors initials were carved on a brick

The new Hospital opened in 1917 Led by Leonard Parsons Englands first Professor in the Diseases of Childhood the Hospital was established as a leading centre for paediatric medicine When the NHS started in 1948 the Hospital became part of Birmingham United Hospitals Teaching Group By the 1990s to remain at the forefront of paediatric healthcare a larger home was needed

In 1998 more than 130 years after it began the Childrens Hospital returned to Steelhouse Lane moving into the centuryold former Birmingham General Hospital Less than one hour after opening the first emergency patient was admitted Birmingham Childrens Hospital is a Centre of Excellence and has been awarded Foundation Trust status

It is easy to see why Birmingham Childrens Hospital is such a focal point in the community It has touched the lives of numerous families and deserves its outstanding international reputation Our aim now is to ensure that the future of the Hospital reflects and enhances its past successes