Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

What Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust does

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust is a public benefit corporation established under the NHS Act 2006 and one of the UK's leading specialist paediatric hospitals, located on the Eaton Road campus in Liverpool. Founded in 1914 as a military hospital and converted to a dedicated children's hospital in 1916, the trust serves more than 450,000 children and young people each year across the North West of England through its main hospital, satellite facilities (Catkin Centre, Sunflower House, Institute in the Park, Alder Centre, Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), and the Springfield Park community green-space. It was ranked in the top 20 specialised paediatric hospitals in the world by Newsweek in 2025 and holds a Care Quality Commission 'Good' overall rating (8 July 2020), with 90% of staff recommending the trust as a place for care.

The trust's core product is comprehensive paediatric clinical service delivery — inpatient, outpatient, emergency, surgical, neonatal intensive care, and mental health — operating free at the point of use under NHS commissioning by NHS England and Clinical Commissioning Groups. Layered on this NHS-funded base are auxiliary products: a private paediatric MRI self-pay service for ages 5-18, the Alder Hey Innovation platform for healthcare technology development, the Alder Hey Academy for staff education, the Alder Centre for bereavement support, and digital self-service tools (online appointment management and symptom checker). Technology components include a 360° Virtual Hospital Map for pre-visit familiarisation and the broader Children's Health Campus integration of clinical, research, and community functions.

The trust's revenue model is predominantly public funding from the NHS, with revenue figures not publicly disclosed. Supplementary income comes from the affiliated Alder Hey Charity (which has raised over £65m since 2013 to fund equipment, research, and service enhancements beyond NHS provision) and a small self-pay MRI commercial channel. The trust has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no disclosed M&A activity, consistent with its status as an independent statutory NHS body accountable to Parliament through NHS England and the CQC.

Name

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Legal name

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Website

https://alderhey.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust is a UK NHS public benefit corporation operating one of the world's top 20 specialist paediatric hospitals from Liverpool, serving 450,000+ children and young people annually across the North West of England with comprehensive inpatient, outpatient, surgical, neonatal, and mental health services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Paediatric Healthcare Services

NAICS

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (62211)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Practices (HLAFAJAF)

Keywords

• Paediatric healthcare services
• Children's hospital services
• Specialist medical care
• Neonatal intensive care
• Mental health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust is a publicly funded specialist paediatric hospital trust that provides comprehensive medical, surgical, mental health, and neonatal care to children and young people from birth through adolescence. Its core offering is the main Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, supplemented by a private paediatric MRI scanning service, the Alder Centre for bereavement support, the Alder Hey Academy for staff education, and the Alder Hey Innovation division for paediatric healthcare technology development.

Product overview

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust operates as a unified NHS hospital offering a comprehensive portfolio of children's healthcare services. The core offering is the main Alder Hey Children's Hospital, supplemented by specialised services including a private paediatric MRI service, an innovation division, an academy for professional education, and bereavement support through the Alder Centre. The trust also provides digital services such as online appointment management and a symptom checker. The Children's Health Campus integrates multiple facilities including the Catkin Centre, Sunflower House, and Springfield Park to provide holistic care across physical, mental, and community health needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alder Hey Charity: The official charitable arm of the hospital that has raised over £65m since 2013 to support families and hospital improvements
• Alder Hey Innovation
• Alder Centre

Products and services

• Alder Hey Children's Hospital The main hospital facility providing comprehensive specialist paediatric medical, surgical, mental health, neonatal, inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care to over 450,000 children and young people annually. Ranked in the top 20 specialised paediatric hospitals in the world by Newsweek. CQC overall rating: Good (July 2020).
• Private Paediatric MRI Scans A specialised private/self-pay paediatric MRI scanning service available for children and young people aged 5–18, offered outside NHS provision and accessible via self-referral.
• Alder Centre A dedicated bereavement support centre offering emotional support and counselling services for families who have experienced the loss of a child.
• Alder Hey Academy Educational and training institution providing professional development opportunities for healthcare staff in paediatric specialties.
• Alder Hey Innovation The trust's dedicated innovation team and platform supporting technological advancement, development, and commercialisation of new healthcare solutions in children's healthcare.
• Online Appointment Management Digital self-service allowing patients and families to change or cancel outpatient appointments online without contacting the hospital by phone.

Quantifiable outcome

• 450,000+ children and young people receive care annually
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alder Hey CharitycoreOthers · 1 January 2013Official charity partner of Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust. Since 2013, the charity has raised over £65m to support the hospital and make a real difference to families. The charity funds equipment, research, and enhancements beyond what NHS funding covers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: A leading US paediatric academic medical centre consistently ranked top-3 nationally, with major research output and innovation partnerships. Comparable to Alder Hey in clinical excellence, research intensity, and innovation-driven growth.
• Boston Children's Hospital: Harvard-affiliated specialist paediatric hospital and one of the world's largest paediatric research enterprises, with an innovation and venture arm. Boston Children's is a leading global benchmark for the integrated care-research-commercialisation model that Alder Hey is building through its Innovation Hub and Institute in the Park.
• The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne: Australia's leading specialist paediatric hospital, an integrated campus combining clinical care, research (Murdoch Children's Research Institute), and innovation. Comparable to Alder Hey as a publicly funded, campus-based paediatric centre with strong research and innovation activity.
• Texas Children's Hospital: A US specialist paediatric hospital ranked among the world's largest, with extensive research and innovation infrastructure. Comparable to Alder Hey as a high-volume, internationally recognised paediatric tertiary and quaternary care provider.
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta: A large US paediatric hospital system combining tertiary clinical care, research, and innovation activities. Comparable to Alder Hey in scope of paediatric specialties, scale of annual patient volume, and integration of research with care delivery.
• The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids): Canada's most prominent paediatric hospital, affiliated with the University of Toronto, with a dedicated research institute. Like Alder Hey, SickKids combines specialty clinical care, research, and innovation on a single integrated campus.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust: The UK's other flagship specialist paediatric NHS Foundation Trust, operating as a comparable specialist children's hospital with research, innovation, and charity arms. GOSH is the most direct domestic peer to Alder Hey given overlapping specialty mix, NHS funding model, and international reputation.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP): One of the oldest and largest paediatric hospitals in the US, with a substantial research institute and paediatric innovation activities. CHOP is comparable to Alder Hey in scope of specialties, research intensity, and family-centred care model.
• Evelina London Children's Hospital: Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust's specialist children's hospital in London, providing comprehensive paediatric services including outpatient, inpatient, and specialist care. A direct UK peer operating under the same NHS funding and regulatory model as Alder Hey.
• Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: A specialist NHS paediatric hospital providing tertiary care for the West Midlands, with overlapping specialty mix and NHS commissioning structure. Comparable to Alder Hey as another major UK specialist children's hospital trust.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AlderHey
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/alderheyhospital
• Facebookfacebook.com/alderheyhospital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alder-hey-children's-nhs-foundation-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/alderhey
• TikToktiktok.com/@alderheyofficial?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust