Oxford Children’s Hospital opened in January 2007 and is one of a handful of purpose-built, specialist children’s hospitals in Britain. The dedicated and integrated Children’s Hospital greatly enhanced Oxford University Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust’s already high standards by bringing the majority of its children’s services into a specifically child and family-friendly building. Many thousands of children are treated here each year, not only from Oxfordshire, but from the surrounding counties and, in some specialties, from across the country.

Children have very different medical and surgical needs, requiring an approach that takes account of the differences in their physical and emotional maturity. Getting it wrong with children’s care can result in negative experiences that may slow their recovery. It may also affect their emotional and social development and even have long-term effects into adulthood.

Charitable funding supported the building of the Children’s Hospital enabling facilities to be provided way beyond what the NHS alone could fund. Classrooms, colourful play terraces and parents beds alongside the child’s bed are just some examples of what was funded through the wonderful support of many people, like you, from the local community and beyond.

This year’s fundraising will help children being treated by the Paediatric gastroenterology team at the Children’s Hospital.

When performing an endoscopy on a child – in non-medical language, a visual, internal examination – the team may diagnose a polyp or other abnormality.

These are often suitable to be treated there and then, however the equipment needed (a diathermy) is shared with the adult service at the hospital, and so often isn’t available.

This means the child is often required to return for a second general anaesthetic procedure to remove the polyp.

Fundraising this year is to enable the purchase of dedicated diathermy equipment for the Children’s Hospital, which will mean quicker treatment and less hospital visits for children being treated by the gastroenterology team.