London hospital teams join forces to save 4-year-old girl
18 May 2026 - Close collaboration between specialists at King’s College Hospital and Evelina London Children’s Hospital, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, has saved the life of a four-year-old girl after an accident left her with life-threatening injuries.
Paisley-Rose Hall was playing outside her house when a large metal planter fell across her chest. She was initially taken to her local hospital in Colchester and then moved to Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Once it was discovered that she had suspected damage to her blood vessels, bruised lungs and liver injuries, Paisley-Rose was referred to King’s College Hospital for specialist treatment.
Dr Trisha Radia, Clinical Director for Child Health at King’s, said: “We discovered that Paisley-Rose had sustained an extremely serious injury to her inferior vena cava (IVC), a large vein that drains blood from the body back to the heart. This was potentially lethal, and we knew that we had to act quickly to give this little girl her best chance of survival.”
Liver specialists from King’s reviewed Paisley-Rose’s condition together with surgeons and cardiovascular experts at Evelina London and agreed she needed emergency cardiac bypass surgery. A multidisciplinary team of specialists from both King’s and Evelina London arranged for Paisley-Rose to have life-saving surgery at Evelina London later that day, with the support of surgeons from King’s Liver Unit.
Dr Marilyn McDougall, Clinical Director of Children’s Cardiac Respiratory and Intensive care at Evelina London, said: “This was an incredibly rare and life-threatening injury, and it required rapid, highly coordinated care across multiple specialist teams. We’re very proud of the seamless collaboration between Evelina London, King’s College Hospital and the South Thames Retrieval Service, which ensured Paisley-Rose received the right care at the right time. It’s thanks to that teamwork, as well as the expertise of our surgical, critical care and anaesthetic colleagues, that she is now recovering well at home.”
After six hours in surgery, Paisley-Rose was monitored at Evelina London, then returned to King’s College Hospital, before she was well enough to be discharged back home with her family to continue her recovery. Lauren and Dominic Hall, Paisley-Rose’s parents, were able to stay nearby in Ronald McDonald House in Camberwell during their daughter’s treatment.
Lauren Hall, Paisley-Rose’s mother, said: “We are so incredibly grateful to everyone who helped save out little girl. We knew that the heart surgery had its risks, but it was Paisley-Rose’s best chance of recovery. So many people have been involved in Paisley-Rose’s care, and to say they have been incredible is an understatement.”
Dominic Hall, Paisley-Rose’s father, added: “We met so many kind and compassionate people who did everything they could for my daughter. Small acts of kindness, like the specialists at King’s who came in to see us and check on Paisley-Rose after their shift, and the brilliant team at Evelina London who plaited her hair so beautifully before her surgery, meant the world.”
Dr Radia added: “Every day, we witness exceptional work to look after our patients, but this team effort across two different hospitals was truly extraordinary. Several colleagues gave up their own time, working hours after their shifts ended, to make sure Paisley-Rose had the treatment she urgently needed.
“The commitment from everyone involved in Paisley-Rose’s care was inspirational; this is a wonderful example of the difference we can make when we work together.”
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