Our vision
The Institute of Women and Children’s Health differs from the other King's Health Partners institutes in having a primary focus on research and education.
[Pictured right: 03.05.2018 Healthwatch Lambeth event: Family health promotion and wellbeing event with the Children & Young People's Health Partnership.]
Our NHS partners, who will continue to deliver clinical services both within their hospitals and through their communities and networks, are integral to the establishment and operation of the Institute.
The foundations of lifelong health are built in utero, at birth and in childhood. We know that the physical and mental health of the mother adversely affects both the fetus and child, however health and disease of women and children are traditionally treated as separate disciplines both in research and in academic and clinical education and training.
We believe that improving health outcomes in childhood, and on into adulthood, requires a different approach, one that recognises and addresses the link between women’s and children’s health.
Our vision is to bring together and build on the extensive strengths of King’s Health Partners in an Institute of Women and Children’s Health that addresses the most important healthcare needs and improves outcomes for women and children in our local area, nationally and internationally.
Our distinctive clinical-academic focus will integrate:
- women’s, maternal, fetal, perinatal, child and adolescent health to understand the impact of early life on lifelong health and disease
- physical and mental health
- discovery science, clinical research and population research including health services, systems and policy.
This will be achieved through:
- an innovative education and training offer for clinicians, scientists and allied health professionals that engenders greater understanding and effective working between disciplines and professions
- a hub that brings researchers and clinicians together with commercial partners to speed-up the development, testing and clinical use of new products and technologies
- a specialist centre for obstetric and paediatric clinical studies and trials
- a partnership between researchers, clinicians, patients and parents to help make better lives for children.
Who we are
Our partners include:
- Evelina London Children's Hospital - the first children’s hospital in the UK to be rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. Evelina London is one of the largest comprehensive children’s medical centres in the UK
- Variety Children's Hospital - with expertise in areas including children’s neurosurgery, liver transplant and the treatment of sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis
- King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trusts have general expertise in obstetrics and gynaecology, and specialist expertise within the Harris Birthright Centre for Fetal Medicine and Assisted Conception Unit
- King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, with expertise in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
At our St Thomas’ and Denmark Hill sites, our research facilities are co-located with our major centres of obstetric, fetal, neonatal and paediatric clinical services, enabling the rapid translation of innovation into the clinical space.