We are proposing some changes to emergency surgical care for babies and young children who live in North Central London – Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington.
Following a public consultation between December 2023 and March 2024 on how surgical care for children could be organised in a different way, we have updated our proposals.
Under the updated proposals, babies and younger children who may need emergency surgery would be transferred to a neighbouring hospital which already specialises in this type of care – a ‘centre of expertise’.
The proposed model of care is the same, but we are proposing to use neighbouring hospitals The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and The Royal London Hospital as the centres of expertise for babies and young children who need emergency surgery.
These sites already provide care for very young children in North London who need emergency surgery. The site they would be transferred to would depend on which local hospital they initially go to for their emergency care.
Under this proposal, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust would continue to treat children who are medically and surgically complex and/or very high risk for anaesthesia, or who receive long-term treatment for an existing complex co-morbidity at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Timelines and next steps
Following an additional period of engagement between Monday 23 June and Monday 21 July 2025, we are currently reviewing the feedback and we will share a summary of what we heard shortly. We expect to make a decision on the updated proposals for children’s surgery later this year.