Facing the prospect of your child’s heart surgery is terrifying, particularly if you have to travel away from your home and your support network. Although it is impossible to take away all of your concerns, we have some services that might help to guide and support you and your family.
All other paediatric cardiac surgeries for patients from NI are currently being split between Evelina Children’s Hospital in London and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. To help ease some of the anxieties associated with travelling for heart surgery, we have created a page for each surgical centre with local information and pictures of each hospital so you have an idea of what to expect. Please have a look through these pages and jot down any unanswered questions you have to take to your next appointment. Download our ‘Travelling For Surgery’ Form
For some children, travelling to and from a surgical centre will take place via ambulance. This usually happens if your child is already an inpatient in hospital or is being transferred from a surgical centre outside of Northern Ireland to complete recovery at a local hospital within Northern Ireland. Have a look at this great video from NISTAR explaining what happens during a typical ambulance transfer. NISTAR – A KIDS GUIDE TO AMBULANCE TRANSFER
We offer financial support to heart families to help ease the extra financial pressure associated with travelling to a surgical centre outside of Northern Ireland. For questions relating to travel and accommodation when travelling outside of Northern Ireland for cardiac surgery or intervention contact Emma Gregg, Nurse Transport Coordinator for congenital heart disease, on: 078 2377 8016.
Children’s Heartbeat Trust helped me financially while we were away for surgery. They asked me for updates and seemed like they cared for every single person going through it.
Children’s Heartbeat Trust helped support us before our daughter’s operation and gave us a grant to help whilst we were in London for her surgery. They were great while we were away, keeping in touch to see how we were doing as well as asking about our daughter.
Having some literature about the Hospital, the financial support and the calls really helped.
The week before Christmas was when we got the news about her condition and we were flown to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for her first open heart surgery. CHT helped us so much with funding to get us through.
Practical and emotional support to families travelling to Evelina Children’s Hospital for cardiac surgery and investigations.
Find Out MorePractical and emotional support to families travelling to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for cardiac surgery and investigations.
Find Out MorePractical and emotional support to families travelling to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin (OLCHC) for cardiac surgery and investigations.
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