About The Trust

Although the British National Health Service is a wonderful institution, it is well known that there are many facilities it is unable to provide. Individuals and charities wishing to donate relatively small amounts of money often aim to buy some type of equipment. Such donations are very much appreciated but it can be difficult to get money to train someone to use new equipment or to learn the latest techniques.

One baby in every hundred is born with an abnormality. Heart abnormalities are among the commonest problems, there are 6 to 8 cases per 1,000 births. In the field of paediatric cardiology (children’s heart disease) there have been enormous advances in diagnosis and treatment and many children who would have died a few years ago now survive. These advances are very dependent on highly specialised technology. Despite all the advances, some babies and older children still die. Such young deaths are devastating for all those involved.

The first Madeleine Steel fellowship was awarded in 2005 to a doctor to enable her to participate in an international study of the problems and risks of pregnancy in women who have themselves survived congenital heart disease.

We have made awards every year since then. Currently, thanks to the generosity of our friends and supporters, we are providing £50,000 each year to support medical research and clinical fellowships, along with UK lecture tours by world leading professors.

The scheme is administered by the British Congenital Cardiac Association whose advertisement for applications is below:

For more information about the BCCA, please click here

Aims of the Trust

The Trust aims to endow a permanent annual scholarship to promote transatlantic sharing of latest research and medical best practices in the field of paediatric cardiology. On occasion the Trust also supports related activities, such as visiting professorships and one-off medical research awards.  There are 15 centres in the UK which specialise in Paediatric Cardiology.  This means that the Madeleine Steel Fellowships could soon influence the diagnosis and treatment of the majority of babies in this country suffering from life threatening abnormalities.  Not only will we have a spread of returning trainees in many centres, but they will be passing on their new expertise to other specialists in the UK.

A report is sent to the BCCA and the Trust to evaluate the work of each Fellow.  Neither the Trust nor the BCCA makes any charge or deduction for their overheads, so every penny raised goes towards a Fellowship.