Alder Hey and Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) have formalised their long-standing collaboration through the signing of a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), reinforcing a shared commitment to advancing paediatric innovation and improving outcomes and experiences for children and families.
The MOU was formally signed during CHI’s visit to Alder Hey on 5 February. During the visit, the CHI team toured Alder Hey’s Innovation Hub, a 1,000 square metre facility within the hospital, to understand how the space has supported innovation activity over the past decade.
Alder Hey’s Innovation Hub is located in the heart of the hospital and is designed to accelerate the impact of game-changing innovation for the next generation of children and young people. It allows Alder Hey to be a centre of excellence, solving real-world healthcare challenges with cutting-edge technology.
As Children’s Health Ireland progresses the commissioning of Ireland’s new National Children’s Hospital Ireland, a new Innovation Centre will be positioned at the heart of the hospital. The centre is envisaged as a collaborative space where young people, families, clinicians, universities and start-ups can come together to explore challenges in paediatric healthcare and co-design practical, real-world solutions.
Alder Hey’s Innovation Team and CHI Innovation have worked closely together over recent years, building a strong relationship grounded in shared values, learning and collaboration. Both organisations are committed to embedding innovation in everyday clinical practice and ensuring that children, young people and families are central to the design of healthcare solutions. Both organisations also share similarities in their organisational journeys. Alder Hey opened their new hospital in 2016, while CHI is currently preparing for the transition to the National Children’s Hospital. This shared experience has created a natural opportunity for collaboration and learning, particularly around embedding innovation from the outset in a new hospital environment.
Looking ahead, the partnership will focus on developing joint paediatric innovation projects. The first planned initiative will explore remote supports for families whose babies are born with severe congenital heart defects, with a focus on proactive care and early prevention.
John Chester, Director of Research and Innovation at Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust said:
We are delighted to formalise our partnership with Children’s Health Ireland. Both our organisations share a deep commitment to improving the lives of children and young people through innovation, and this agreement strengthens our ability to learn from one another.
At Alder Hey, we have seen first hand how embedding innovation into everyday practice can transform care, and we are proud to support CHI as they develop their new Innovation Centre within the National Children’s Hospital.
By working together on joint projects, we can create solutions that make a meaningful difference for children and families, both now and in the future.”
Speaking about the collaboration, Lucy Nugent, Chief Executive of Children’s Health Ireland said:
We are very grateful to our colleagues in Alder Hey for sharing their experience and learning with us. This partnership gives CHI a valuable opportunity to learn from a children’s hospital that has successfully embedded innovation in day-to-day care. As we plan our Innovation Centre in the new hospital, that real-world insight will help us create a space that truly supports children, families and the healthcare teams who care for them.”
Overall, the visit reflects a shared ambition to deepen collaboration, exchange learning and explore opportunities to jointly contribute to paediatric innovation on an international stage.