Helen Robson

My name is Helen Robson.

I have been a clinical nurse specialist within Cleft Lip and Palate for 15 years. I became involved with cleft at the establishment of the centralisation of specialist care. I joined a network and was pivotal in developing a nursing service at outreach centres within the network. I very much value multidisciplinary working and have enjoyed establishing a nursing service supporting early feeding support. I have maintained a community focused model enabling nurses to problem solve and practice autonomy. My research interests include the management of Robin babies and have been a participant in the international research consensus group. I also have an interest in sleep obstruction and am a PI in a research study called SLUMBRS. I am a non-medical prescriber. Developing research within cleft and especially within nursing is invaluable as well as education. I am involved in a teaching programme in Tajikistan and have also supported the European cleft nursing programme.

I am really excited about being part of CLEFT and offering a positive contribution.

Latest

Rona, Richard, Jon and Simon ride 100 miles

Join us in raising funds for the CLEFT: Bridging the Gap! CLEFT has 2 great aims: to support sustainable and multidisciplinary cleft care in lower and middle income countries (surgery is important but only part of the journey), and to support research into the causes and provision of cleft care in the UK.
Zhi's Dublin Marathon Fundraiser

I am raising money to provide long-term, sustainable ways to improve cleft care both in the UK and overseas.
Nick and Kathleen's Wedding Fundraiser

We are raising money to provide long-term, sustainable ways to improve cleft care both in the UK and overseas.
The difference a Comprehensive Cleft and Craniofacial Centre can make

During his visit to Dhaka earlier this year, Mr Brian Sommerlad (Chair of CLEFT and Consultant Plastic Surgeon) saw a number of familiar faces in the clinic. Shahriah and Khadjiatul are two patients requiring a large number of operations and complex treatments throughout their lifetime.

Rowan Griffiths
Hannah Lane

I am a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist working with children born with cleft and craniofacial conditions in Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, linking with the Nottingham Trent Cleft team.
Jenny Cropper

I am a Clinical Psychologist working in the Spires Cleft Centre, across the Oxford and Salisbury sites.
Ghassan S. Abu-Sittah
Chloé Rolland

Consultant Orthodontist
Julie Davies

Senior Specialist Speech & Language Therapist, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Gillian McCarthy

I represent CLAPA, the Cleft Lip and Palate Association.
Liz Grant
Paul Whittaker

I began working with CLEFT as a filmmaker and photographer in 2016, initially to highlight the progress of the multi-disciplinary cleft centre CLEFT has helped create in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Chris Hill

Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery

We are working with Bangladeshi specialists at the new Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery to create a sustainable centre to treat children with cleft lip and palate.
Nawrin and the C-Arm

This important piece of equipment was supplied by CLEFT and is used to see moving images of the cleft palate. Nawrin is a 13 year old girl who was experiencing speech difficulties and needed the C-Arm to show the cleft team if further surgery was required.
Our mission

CLEFT was established in 2007 with one aim, to help improve the lives of children born with cleft lip and palate, either by funding research into the likely causes of the condition or by helping support teams in lower and middle income countries.
Donate

You can make a one-off donation today or sign up to giving a regular monthly gift. All donations, small or large, will help us to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate both now and in the future. 100% of your donation today will go towards funding an international or research project thanks to a charitable trust covering all our administrative costs until February 2025.
About us

CLEFT was established in 2007 by cleft surgeon Brian Sommerlad - based at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, together with a former patient and a patient's grandmother.
The genetics of cleft lip and palate

Investigations into the genetics of cleft lip and palate to understand more about why cleft lip and palate occurs.
Brian Sommerlad, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Chair of Trustees

For over 40 years, I have been involved in operating on babies, children and adults who have been born with cleft lip and/or palate.
Our research vision

At CLEFT, our vision is of a future where clefts are preventable. Until we get there, we want to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate.
Trusts and Foundations

Today, 1-in-700 babies in the UK are born with a cleft lip and palate, the most common form of birth defect. The impact on a child’s life as they grow is profound. Typically, they will need at least four operations. They may also require ongoing tests, treatment or therapy. It will affect the way they look but also their speech, hearing and dental development. It can leave deep psychological scars.
Our philosophy

The two arms of CLEFT are brought together by our mission to bridge the gap in cleft care and knowledge both in the UK and around the world. Our international and research philosophies are at the very heart of our work.