About Us

The Heart Centre for Children cares for kids with heart problems and their families. We do this with a committed focus on excellent clinical care and research.

The Heart Centre for Children integrates cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and scientists delivering patient care (Adolph Basser Cardiac Institute), out of hospital and in hospital (Edgar Stephen Ward) cardiac specialist nursing specialist cardiac psychology, and dedicated cardiac researchers (Kids Heart Research) at The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney. The children we see are either born with heart problems (congenital heart disease) or develop them during childhood (acquired heart disease).

The Heart Centre for Children is dedicated to "beating heart disease in kids" and, as part of the SCHN Cardiac Service, embraces the vision of "Best Cardiac Care - Heart and Mind". All our staff are dedicated to improving our ability to diagnose, treat, and cure children with congenital heart disease, now and into the future.

By supporting us, you are directly improving the treatments for kids, their families and the community. Your financial is directly allocated to specialised equipment or research to solve heart disease in children.

The Heart Centre for Children brings together the work of the doctors, nurses and paramedical staff as well as scientific researchers. These researchers are committed to improving our ability to diagnose and treat children with congenital heart disease, now and into the future.

By supporting us, you are directly improving the treatments for kids, their families and the community. You'll also be helping the next generation of clinicians and researchers to solve heart disease in children.

Sharing skills and information is the best path to providing excellence in care. We are part of the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network and collaborate with other major cardiac services in Australia and New Zealand. Our longstanding training, clinical and research partnerships with cardiac units in the Asia-Pacific rim, India, Europe and the USA also support our drive for excellence and ensure our practice reflects the newest discoveries.

History

1959: Adolph Basser Cardiac Institute

Businessman Adolph Basser was a philanthropist who generously supported the work being done at what was then the Congenital Heart Disease Unit at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. In 1959, he funded a travelling fellowship. This allowed the honorary cardiac surgeon to visit major overseas centres and see first-hand the most recent developments in this important field. As a direct result, an advanced heart-lung machine was constructed. Also in 1959, the Congenital Heart Disease Unit was expanded into the Adolph Basser Cardiac Institute. This unit now works within The Children's Hospital at Westmead. The Adolph Basser Trust continues to support research and clinical activities at the Hospital.

2004: Kids Heart Research

Kids Heart Research was established at The Children's Hospital in 2004. The aim was always to perform translational research directly relevant to improving clinical care, working with clinicians in the Adolph Basser Cardiac Institute. Kids Heart Research has also formed alliances with parent groups, scientific collaborators and professional bodies such as the parent support group HeartKids and the regional research collaborative, the Australian and New Zealand Children's Heart Research Centre.

2009: The Heart Centre for Children

In 2009, the Adolph Basser Cardiac Institute and Kids Heart Research formally recognised their close ties by forming the Heart Centre for Children. The centre looks after kids on a day-to-day basis and drives much of the paediatric cardiac research agenda in this country. Together, the centre's clinicians and researchers have fostered a culture of enquiry, development and innovation. Their core vision has always remained the same: to save the lives of kids with heart problems.

2011: Sydney Children's Hospitals Network

The Children's Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, came together under a single management structure called the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (SCHN)

2013: SCHN Cardiac Services

The formation of the Sydney Children's Hospital Network allowed development of a single cardiac programme integrating the services and capabilities of The Heart Centre for Children at the Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Cardiac Programme at Sydney Children's Hospital. The SCHN Cardiac Services has "home sites" at both hospitals and services all major cardiac conditions for children in NSW, and supports special needs for interstate and beyond.