Exploring excellence in paediatric allergy services at Evelina Children’s Hospital

On the south bank of the Thames River, directly across from the iconic Houses of Parliament in London, stands St Thomas’s Hospital. Within its walls resides the renowned Evelina Children’s Hospital, a leading institution in paediatric care. Notably, Evelina hosts a highly active and pioneering allergy team, dedicated to advancing the field of allergy research and treatment. 

Recently, Allergy UK had the privilege of visiting the hospital’s allergy services, thanks to an invitation from Rebecca Batt, a Nurse Consultant at St Thomas’s. This visit provided a comprehensive insight into the innovative and exemplary care provided by the hospital’s allergy team. 

The allergy service at Evelina Children’s Hospital operates as a standalone clinical outpatient department. This dedicated unit manages a variety of allergy clinics and also runs an allergy day unit situated in another part of the hospital.   

During our visit, we were able to observe the breadth and depth of treatments and services offered by the allergy team. Their expertise covers several critical areas, including: 

• Food challenges: Supporting children through controlled food challenges to diagnose and manage food allergies. 
• Immunotherapy: Providing immunotherapy to those severely affected by allergies, aiming to build tolerance and reduce symptoms. 
• Specialised procedures: Conducting various other allergy testing, treatments and procedures with a high level of clinical proficiency. 

The team’s dedication to maintaining an outstanding standard of care is evident in every aspect of their work.  

The paediatric allergy service at Evelina Children’s Hospital is already an exemplary model for specialist services. The practices and protocols implemented by the team represent what the gold standard of allergy care should be for children and their families across the UK. The model implemented by Evelina’s allergy team demonstrates what can be achieved with dedication, expertise, and a patient-centred approach. 

Yet, despite already being a beacon of excellence the team remains committed to expanding these services, recognising the growing need for specialised allergy care. 

At Allergy UK our mission is for the serious nature of allergies to be taken more seriously by healthcare providers, so that similar high-quality allergy services can be offered in more locations across the UK.  

Until then, we believe that collaborative efforts between Allergy UK and the wider allergic and healthcare professional community, will ensure that we can continually improve on the high standards of care delivered to every family affected by allergy in the UK. 

For more information on supporting patients with allergies, visit our HCP resources here.