Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), one of the world’s most renowned children’s hospitals, sits in the heart of central London – an area frequently affected by poor air quality. As a facility caring for some of the most vulnerable patients, GOSH recognises that environmental health   is inseparable from human health. With the world’s growing focus on climate issues, including plastic waste and air pollution, GOSH has deepened its commitment to understanding and mitigating the effects of air quality on patients, staff, and the surrounding community.

A long-time participant in the Breathe London programme, GOSH is on a path to evolving from passive data recipient to an active leader in using air quality insights for operations, education, and policy advocacy. Through a partnership with Airly, the hospital is demonstrating how hyperlocal, real-time pollution data can influence not just internal decision-making, but broader public health narratives.

Challenges

Managing complex urban variables

GOSH operates in a dense, high-traffic urban environment, making it difficult to separate local pollution sources from broader city-wide influences. Sensor placement change following the relocation of the entrance for patients was useful in understanding of some of the pollution patterns.

Making data actionable

The hospital collects granular data – with a particular focus on nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels – from four sensors (two at entrances and two in goods delivery yards). However, turning complex real-time data into simple, communicable insights remains an ongoing challenge.

Linking pollution to hospital operations

By logging every vehicle entering their goods yard, including company details and time of arrival, GOSH is correlating these records with pollution spikes to understand and potentially influence supplier behaviour.

Engaging clinicians and the public

Air quality monitoring has sparked internal collaboration between sustainability teams, clinical staff, and quality improvement units. But there’s a need to further integrate environmental data into patient care pathways and staff education.

Solution: real-time air quality data from Airly

Airly’s high-precision sensors provide GOSH with the reliability, accuracy, and granularity they need. The hospital uses:

• One Breathe London sensor and three additional Airly sensors.
• Strategic placement at entrances and delivery areas.
• Integration with real-time tracking of vehicle movements.

Airly’s reputation for reliability and responsive support was a key factor in GOSH’s choice.

From installation to data interpretation, the Airly team has helped turn environmental monitoring into a strategic tool.

 

Airly has been really attentive and provided support regarding both the installation of the sensors as well as the subsequent data collection and interpretation.

— GOSH representative

Impact

Operational improvements

• Identification of pollution spikes linked to goods deliveries
• Potential to inform supply chain expectations and delivery scheduling
• Data-backed evidence for engaging suppliers on sustainability practices.

Health and clinical engagement

• Awareness among clinicians about real-time air pollution trends outside the hospital
• Integration of environmental health into patient conversations
• Aim to link local air quality into electronic patient records.

Education and advocacy

• Development of staff training on air quality’s health impacts
• Public education efforts aimed at reducing exposure, particularly for children and the vulnerable
• Active advocacy for increased environmental health education in healthcare training.

Conclusions and next steps

Great Ormond Street Hospital is proving that even institutions with no direct control over urban pollution can have a measurable impact. With high-quality data from Airly’s sensors, GOSH is monitoring air quality as well as influencing how people talk about, respond to, and make decisions based on environmental health risks.

Whether it’s adjusting delivery schedules, informing patients, educating staff, or advocating for systemic change, GOSH shows that hospitals can and should lead on air quality.