An 11-year-old girl from Congleton is back performing after a vital transfer by the National Children’s Air Ambulance (NCAA) helped her reach urgent specialist heart surgery.
Verity Nuttall, who has lived with a heart condition since she was a baby, fell seriously ill during a family holiday in summer 2025. Doctors learnt the leak in her mitral valve was severe and had progressively worsened, meaning she needed urgent surgery from a specialist team.
With time critical, the National Children’s Air Ambulance was called in by one of its Clinical Partner Teams, the North West & North Wales Paediatric Transport Service (NWTS), to transfer Verity from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool to Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. The helicopter transfer took just 48 minutes, saving almost five hours compared to travelling by road.
Verity, who loves tap dancing, drama and theatre, admitted she felt nervous before the flight.
“I was really nervous,” she said. “I didn’t want the helicopter to fall.”
For her mum, Katie, the morning of the transfer was emotional and overwhelming.
“It was stressful with so much to think about, but when the crew arrived, I felt a sense of calm,” she said. “You could immediately tell Verity was in good hands.”
After landing at a nearby airport, Verity was taken by land ambulance to Freeman Hospital, where she underwent open heart surgery to repair her valve, which had been causing around 70% of her blood to flow in the wrong direction. Her dad, Gareth, stayed at home to care for Verity’s siblings before travelling to Newcastle the day before her surgery so the family could be together. She made a strong recovery and was discharged just a week later.
“There were some small wobbles, but once they found the right combination of medication, she really started improving,” Katie said.
Now back home in Congleton, Verity is enjoying school life again. She has joined drama club, recently passed her tap-dancing exam, performed in ‘We Will Rock You’ at the local theatre and is preparing to be one of the principal dancer in her school’s summer production of Fame.
Reflecting on the experience, Katie and Gareth said they will always be grateful.
“The words thank you just aren’t enough. It was such an important step in helping Verity get the treatment she needed and helping her get better.”
The National Children’s Air Ambulance is a charity providing specialist transfers for critically ill babies and children across the UK. The service works with 11 NHS Clinical Partner Teams to ensure young patients can reach the care they need as quickly and safely as possible.
