About Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (GOSHCC)
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is a world leader in paediatric medicine and research, but it is providing this specialist work in some of the oldest clinical buildings in London. When these buildings were constructed, healthcare was very different and the hospital needs new space to deliver the best treatment, research and care for today's sick children.
As one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals, Great Ormond Street Hospital has dedicated staff devoted to treating some of the sickest children with the rarest conditions. The hospital treats more than 100,000 patients a year at its central London site, at it’s partnership organisations and at clinics across the country. It offers the largest range of children’s medical specialties under one roof, so children with some of the rarest and most complex problems can be treated, and in partnership with the Institute of Child Health (ICH) has the largest paediatric research and training centre in the UK.
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity’s (GOSHCC) principal objective is to support the children, families and staff, by providing equipment, facilities and research funding that might not otherwise be provided by the NHS or other sources. That’s why fundraising and your donations are so important to us.
Every year we need to raise £50 million through charitable donations. Whilst the NHS meets the day to day running costs of the hospital, the fundraising income allows GOSH to remain at the forefront of child healthcare. Without it we would not be able to offer the same specialist treatments and services and to have the buildings and paediatric equipment that we need. We would also not be able to continue the level of pioneering research that has led to so many new advances for children both in the UK and across the world.
If you would like to support GOSHCC please contact us on 020 7239 3000 or visit www.gosh.org
Our history
Great Ormond Street Hospital first opened its doors on 14 February 1852 with ten beds. It was the inspiration of Dr Charles West who, appalled by the lack of facilities for very ill children in the capital, had set about raising money for the cause. The first child admitted was two-year-old George Parr suffering from catarrh and diarrhoea - not serious by today's standards, but this was a time when a third of children born in London did not reach adulthood.
The new hospital quickly attracted public support. Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens and author J M Barrie, who donated the copyright to his famous play "Peter Pan", were among those to pledge their help.
The hospital grew and developed. In 1893, the new purpose built wing was opened with room for 240 beds and 15 years later, a whole new outpatients department was built. After the Second World War, the Institute of Child Health (the hospital's research partner) opened and began its pioneering research into discovering cures and developing treatments for children's illnesses.
From 1985-87 the hospital ran the Wishing Well Appeal - supported by joint patrons the Prince and Princess of Wales. The Princess of Wales then agreed to become President of the Hospital and was a regular visitor until her death in 1997.
Today, over 100,000 children every year are treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital and it is looking to the future. It is about to embark on a redevelopment programme to meet the changing needs of the children and families it sees, and to equip the hospital for the 21st century.