Evelina London Children's Hospital Chief Executive joins Future Cities Forum

Above: Evelina Hospital (on right) with the Palace of Westminster beyond viewed from Lambeth Palace Library

Future Cities Forum is delighted that the Interim Chief Executive of the Evelina London Children's Hospital, Dr Sara Hanna, will be joining our 'Arts and Sciences' discussions tomorrow at Lambeth Palace Library.

The world-famous Evelina Hospital for Sick Children opened in 1869 on Southwark Bridge Road, London and was funded by Austrian Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, in memory of his wife Evelina who had died three years earlier along with their son. The hospital now runs out of an award-winning building (completed in 2005) opposite Lambeth Palace Library.

Dr Sara Hanna has been a consultant in intensive care medicine since 2003. During this time she has focused on the development of the South Thames retrieval service which runs and manages the network for the care of critically ill children in the region.

Since 2014 she has been medical director for Evelina London.

Dr Hanna will be joining librarian and archivist of Lambeth Palace Library, Giles Mandelbrote, to discuss the importance of the new library facilities and viewing tower for patients and their families at the hospital and how the relationship with this important cultural landmark will develop in the future.

Lambeth Palace Library is keen to open its collection and facilities to the community. It is built in red brick to echo that of the original 15th century Lambeth Palace and has a water feature and wild planting at the rear. When the Evelina hospital first opened in Victorian times, it boasted a roof garden for patients.

Arts Council England research from 2014 has highlighted the importance of libraries for the 'maintenance of mental and physical wellbeing, social inclusivity and the cohesion of communities'.

At Future Cities Forum, we will be discussing the boost to the economy from cultural institutions and destinations as well as the design of future hospitals - with adjacent life sciences districts - for the health and wellbeing of patients as well as medical research and discovery.