Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

We're delighted to see the impact of this UK first for #epilepsy treatment. ✨ A multi-disciplinary team from GOSH, the University of Oxford, UCL and the Royal Academy of Engineering recently came together to deliver the first UK clinical trial in children of deep brain stimulation for a type of severe epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. 13-year-old Oran was the first patient to benefit from this clinical trial, which began here at GOSH. Watch his journey in the video below 👇 Surgical, nursing, neurology, imaging, anaesthetics, neurophysiology and many more teams have worked tirelessly to deliver this life-changing research and Innovation for the first patient, led by Martin Tisdall, Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon at GOSH and Honorary Associate Professor at UCL. Martin said: “Every single day we see the life-threatening and life-limiting impacts of uncontrollable epilepsy. It can make school, hobbies or even just watching a favourite TV show utterly impossible. “Deep brain stimulation brings us closer than ever before to stopping epileptic seizures for patients who have very limited effective treatment options.” Oran’s seizures started two weeks after his third birthday and up until the trial he hadn’t had a single day without a seizure. He needed round-the-clock care. Oran’s Mum Justine said: “We’ve tried everything, but this is the first real shot we’ve been given in years, there has been no ‘what next’ until now. “Unless somebody takes the first step on a trial like this, there is never going to be a better, and there has to be a better for our family. "We’ve seen a big improvement; seizures have reduced and are less severe. That’s been great but the quality-of-life improvement has been invaluable for Oran. “The team really do have your back. We never felt alone, from last August [when we joined the trial]. We were made to feel part of the team and so was Oran.” “The future looks hopeful which I wouldn’t have dreamed of saying six months ago. For Oran, having hope brings excitement. It makes the future brighter and more attainable even. I’m really pleased that Oran gets to experience that.” #DBS #Epilepsy #Research

Such a joy to host astronaut Tim Peake at our celebration event! 🚀👨🚀 Tim recently joined us to officially launch our new NIHR GOSH Clinical Research Facility in its new home on the 8th Floor of the Southwood Building here at GOSH. He spoke with us about his time in space and the research that he has carried out into rare diseases. We were also joined by Steve McCarthy, the artist who designed the space themed artwork for the facility in collaboration with patients and families. Tim and Steve ran Lego and colouring-in sessions for our young visitors in the new play area and colleagues from the Royal Observatory Greenwich also came along to run a range of space-themed interactive activities 🪐 We want to say a huge thank you to the children, young people and families who were part of the design and conception of the new facility and of course, the GOSH staff who continue to make our research possible! 🌟 #Research #ClinicalTrials

We’re so excited for this event! 👏 Join us for the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Symposium on Tuesday, 16 July. 🎉 We’ll be celebrating cutting-edge research in paediatric health, from innovative technologies used for treating complex craniofacial disorders in children to practical ways we can reduce inequity in children’s healthcare. Accessible both in person and online, this symposium will be led by: • Professor Owase Jeelani, Professor of Neurosurgery at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Paediatric Neurosurgeon at GOSH • Professor Michelle Heys, Professor of Global Child Health at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Register for free: https://lnkd.in/eN7RDTTG

A groundbreaking study by researchers at GOSH marks the first time children and young people across all four UK nations have been asked to share their views on AI in healthcare, with a focus on enhancing radiology services. ✨ Key findings: 1. Young people are enthusiastic about AI's potential in healthcare, particularly for improving care quality and outcomes. 2. They prefer AI tools to be supervised by healthcare professionals, recognising the irreplaceable human elements of care. 3. In radiology applications, such as identifying bone fractures in X-rays, accuracy of diagnosis is prioritised by children and young people over speed. This important study was co-developed by GOSH Consultant Paediatric Radiologist Prof. Susan Shelmerdine and a steering committee of patients and carers from GOSH’s research advisory groups. Dr Lauren Lee, a member of GOSH Young Persons' Advisory Group and recently qualified Junior Doctor, led the publication of the study results. She said: "There are a lot of discussions about how AI can help to facilitate healthcare. Until this study, no one has really asked the younger generation how we feel about it, especially as we will be growing up alongside AI developments. It has been great to be able to give young people a voice in this space!" The study's findings are already being incorporated into cutting-edge research based at GOSH, where researchers are evaluating and developing AI tools to better detect and describe fractures from a large dataset of X-ray scans in children across the UK. In the future, Professor Shelmerdine and her team are hoping to develop AI tools that can create written reports directly from radiology images and allow patients to ask AI questions about their imaging. Learn more about the study and its potential impact on our website: https://lnkd.in/eR5Q88uE #AIinHealthcare #MedicalInnovation #Research

We're calling current GOSH patients, family members or carers to help us celebrate our hardworking teams. Is this you? ⭐ Nominations are now open for the GOSH Staff Awards until 28 July and if you're a current GOSH patient or family member, we need your help. We hold these awards to recognise and celebrate GOSH staff and volunteers who have gone above and beyond in the past year, achieving remarkable accomplishments for their teams and our patients. Last year nearly 40 teams and 140 individuals were nominated by their colleauges for an award - that's an incredible 247 nominations from staff across our hospital! Simply fill out this short form to share your story of a team or individual who has made a positive impact on your time here at our hospital: https://lnkd.in/ea799rEd Our winners will be announced at a special Staff Awards ceremony this October. Please note, we can only accept nominations from current GOSH patients or family members. 💙 If that's not you, but you'd like to recognise someone, go ahead and share your story in our comments. 👇

We’re thrilled to share the amazing experience at our recent Get Active event! 🚴♂️ As Ben, Angus, and Hugh’s dad beautifully put it, “The opportunity to try new things and open their horizons is brilliant.” You’ll see they’ve collected a few medals too! 🏅 This weekend, hundreds of GOSH patients joined us for an incredible day filled with sports and activities, all designed to support their long-term recovery. The event was a unique chance for current patients with cancer and those who have completed treatment to explore a wide range of sports. ⚾ We had fantastic support from our dedicated ward staff, a huge team of volunteers, and wonderful partners from charities and local sports clubs. Together, we created an environment where everyone could participate and enjoy activities such as climbing walls, cycling, athletics, fencing, tennis, ballet, wheelchair basketball, archery, football, cricket, and inflatable slides. Plus, there was face painting, ice cream, and an opportunity to design a bedroom taking inspiration from our upcoming Children’s Cancer Centre. Ayaan drew a fantastic rendition of their ideal hospital room: “It should be colourful so people can enjoy and have some motivation and believe in themselves.” A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this unforgettable day possible. Your efforts brought so much joy to the children and their families. 💙

As we mark 76 years of the NHS today, we'd like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the #NHS staff and volunteers, from the past and present, who have helped make GOSH what it is today.💙 Last year, in honour of the 75th anniversary of the NHS, GOSH staff collaborated with poet Cecilia Knapp to share how much working in the NHS means to them. 80 members of staff from across our hospital including the play team, estates and facilities, nursing, patient experience and research shared their experiences of their time at GOSH. Senior Play Specialist Lizzie Penn performed the poem live as part of 'Our National Health Stories'. The poem titled 'Come with Me' celebrates all the things that make our hospital unique. 👇 You can listen to a snippet of the poem below and watch the full performance on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eJi73-w6 #NHS76

We’re honouring Children's Art Week by highlighting the transformative role of art in supporting our patients, families, and staff. Art is a vital tool for nurturing creativity, bringing the outside world in, and enhancing overall well-being. 🌈✨ GOSH Art’s latest initiative, "Wild Imaginarium," showcases the incredible talents of our young patients. 🎨 Working alongside talented artists Usman Haque and Ling Tan, students from our GOSH school created a stunning entrance design that now decorates the glass walls of the Morgan Stanley Clinical Building — the main entrance to GOSH. 🖼️ This innovative project merged traditional artistic methods with cutting-edge AI technology. Our young artists crafted prompts inspired by nature and plants, which were then transformed into vibrant digital imagery. The result? A colourful, welcoming installation that captivates everyone who enters our hospital. 🌺🖌️ Nayiga, a 15-year-old patient from Eagle Ward, worked on the project. She shared her experience: “I walk past the new artwork every time I come into the hospital. It's interesting, colourful, and vibrant. “I really enjoyed taking part in the project. I looked at different types of real flowers and plants and then came up with my own ideas. The AI images came out just as I imagined they would.” To celebrate the project's success, our young artists recently gathered to view their finished work and participate in a creative gel printing workshop. Each child and young person took home a printed poster of their artwork — a lasting reminder of their remarkable contribution to GOSH. 🍀 🎨 Projects like "Wild Imaginarium" not only enhance our spaces but also empower our patients, fostering creativity, confidence, and play during their time with us. #ChildrensArtWeek #GOSH #ArtInHealthcare #Art HAQUE TAN

Research news! ✨ Our new study into the effectiveness of whole genome sequencing has shown that it improves care management for children with cancer.    It’s also revealed that while standard-of-care tests examine small parts of the cancer genome and require multiple tests per child, whole genome sequencing matches this and offers additional benefits in a single test.    In 2020, NHS England became one of the first healthcare services in the world to offer whole genome sequencing for children with cancer, made possible through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service.   This study comes after researchers at GOSH sought to identify the impact of this national initiative, the first time the scheme has been assessed. Led by GOSH consultant paediatric haematologist Jack Bartram, he conducted the research in collaboration with the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Cambridge, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as well as the NHS North Thames Genomic Medicine Service and East Genomics. For more information on whole genome sequencing and what it means for the future of children’s cancer care, scroll through our timeline 👇 #ResearchNews #WholeGenomeSequencing

We’re delighted to see this exciting step forward in stem cell therapy for a rare bowel disease. 🌟 Typically detected shortly after birth and initially treated with surgery, Hirschsprung disease is a rare condition where some nerve cells are missing in the large intestine. It causes debilitating, lifelong symptoms, and often requires multiple surgical procedures. However, promising new research has recently demonstrated the potential of stem cell therapy to treat the condition, through the generation and implantation of nerve cell precursors. These precursors can generate the missing nerves in the intestine, which should in turn improve its functionality. Funded by the Medical Research Council, the study was led by researchers at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and the Centre for Stem Cell Biology, University of Sheffield. Dr. Conor McCann, the study's Principal Investigator at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, said: “This study is a real breakthrough in our cell therapy work for Hirschsprung disease. It really shows the benefit of bringing the expertise of different groups together which will hopefully benefit children and adults living with Hirschsprung disease in the future.” Read more about the study on our website: https://lnkd.in/eD9ANdWP #Hirschsprung #Research #ResearchBreakthrough