Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has reinforced its long-standing relationship with Malawi after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) in Blantyre. The agreement marks a significant step forward in a partnership that has spanned decades and is focused on improving outcomes for children and young people through shared expertise, education, research and clinical development.
The new MoU provides a formal framework for collaboration across child health services, professional training, medical education, research and service improvement, reflecting a commitment to mutual learning and sustainable healthcare development. The partnership is one of Alder Hey's longest-standing international relationships and is built on the principle that both organisations benefit from sharing knowledge and experience.
The agreement builds upon years of clinical and academic collaboration between healthcare professionals in the UK and Malawi. This includes Professor Melissa Gladstone’s work in neurodevelopmental paediatrics, Professor Enitan Carrol’s research in infectious diseases and Professor Nigel Cunliffe’s contribution to vaccine development. The partnership has also been supported by Dr Kondwani Kawaza, Associate Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health, alongside colleagues at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences.
More recently, Dr Joe Langton has played a leading role in developing the Advanced Malawian Paediatric Life Support (AMPLS) Course. Working alongside colleagues at Alder Hey and healthcare professionals in Malawi, the initiative has helped establish a specialist training programme designed to strengthen paediatric emergency care.
As part of the collaboration, Alder Hey staff supported through the International Child Health group have travelled to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre to work alongside local teams delivering the Generic Instructor Course (GIC) and the AMPLS programme.
Senior emergency department clinicians and medical educators from Alder Hey took part in visits during October 2025 and May 2026, with a further visit planned for October 2026. Their involvement has included supporting course delivery and providing quality assurance to ensure training remains effective and sustainable.
The GIC programme equips healthcare professionals with teaching and adult learning skills needed to deliver life support training, while the AMPLS course, developed by Malawian clinicians for Malawi, prepares healthcare professionals in secondary and tertiary settings to respond effectively to paediatric emergencies.
Beyond technical skills, the programmes focus on teamwork, leadership and human factors, helping clinicians develop capabilities that can immediately improve patient care. Feedback from participants has shown that many healthcare professionals were able to apply their learning in clinical settings within days of completing the training.
A key objective is to ensure the programmes can eventually be delivered entirely by a Malawian faculty, supporting long-term sustainability and local leadership. At the same time, Alder Hey clinicians have brought valuable insights and teaching approaches back to the UK, demonstrating the partnership's two-way learning model.
The collaboration also honours the legacy of Professor Robin Broadhead and Professor Elizabeth Molyneux, both of whom had close links with Alder Hey and made internationally recognised contributions to paediatric healthcare in Malawi.
The new agreement forms part of Alder Hey's growing Global Child Health Programme and is expected to create further opportunities for research, education and service development that benefit children, families and healthcare professionals in both countries.
Dr Katherine Birch, Director of Alder Hey Academy, said:
“At Alder Hey, we believe that some of the best learning happens when we look beyond our own organisation and our own borders. Our global partnerships are focused on improving care for children and young people wherever they live and we are delighted to have signed this new Memorandum of Understanding with our partners in Malawi, strengthening our long-standing relationships and creating new opportunities for colleagues in both countries to learn from one another, share expertise and develop together.”
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