Children's Heart Unit Fund

We aim to keep the Freeman Hospital at the forefront of children’s cardiac care by raising money to buy equipment, facilities, aftercare, pay salaries and research for the Children’s Heart Unit and PICU. Small pieces of equipment help the nurses on the wards and larger items help doctors and surgeons undertake complex operations. Sometimes funds are used to help pay for medical and support staff, essential to the running of the unit and also for specialist resources to help children and their families.

Around 300 small babies and children are operated on each year by the children’s heart surgeons at the Freeman Hospital.

Heart problems are one of the most common types of abnormality found in newborn babies. Many of them are tiny infants who up until a few years ago would not have survived. Out of 33,000 babies born in the Northern region each year, around 300 will require surgery and many more will require medical or outpatient treatment in the Children’s Heart Unit (Ward 23).

Not all children are born with heart disease. Viruses can severely weaken the heart and cause it to fail. The Freeman Hospital is one of only 2 hospitals in the UK that perform children’s heart transplants and that use mechanical hearts to keep these children alive until their heart either recovers or can be transplanted. Since 1987 over 250 children have received a transplant.

Because of the special expertise at the Freeman Hospital, children are referred to us from Ireland, Scotland and many hospitals throughout England. On a rare occasion they may even be referred from overseas.

Ward 23 (Children’s Heart Unit) is an eighteen bed ward, taking babies and children of all ages. It is equipped with a six cot nursery and twelve beds for older children. It has a large playroom, a room equipped with computer games for older children and an outside play area, including a mini football pitch and basket ball nets, a lot of which were funded by CHUF.

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) has been equipped with the most modern medical technical equipment and patient monitoring facilities thanks to CHUF funds. To date, over £1 million has been raised for this facility alone.