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.
Local hospitals will continue to provide:
- Most emergency surgery for children aged 3+ (5+ for general surgery and urology).
Centres of expertise for emergency surgery will provide:
- Emergency surgery for babies and children aged 0-3 for most types of operations.
- Emergency surgery for babies and children aged 0-5 for general and urology surgery.
- Because it is quite rare for young children to need surgery, we think that this proposal would only impact around 98 children per year.
- Great Ormond Street Hospital 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.
What is general surgery?
In children, the term ‘general surgery’ typically covers surgery on the abdomen (tummy) and urology surgery, which is for conditions affecting the bladder, kidneys and, for boys, the genitals. Common operations in children that come under general surgery and urology include correction of testicular torsion (twisted testicles) and appendix removal.