Croydon has joined with six other local authorities from across south London and Surrey to issue a plea to the new Labour government’s health secretary to call-in plans to move children’s cancer care from The Royal Marsden Hospital at Belmont and St George’s, Tooting.
New centre: the Evelina, next to St Thomas’s Hospital, is set to be the region’s children’s cancer centre
A “business case” decision was published by the NHS in March to move children’s cancer services for south London and south-east England to the Evelina Children’s Hospital in Waterloo, despite a petition against the change receiving 12,000 signatures.
Under the controversial plans, radiotherapy treatment will be provided at University College Hospital, in central London.
Treatment for about 1,400 children aged under 15 is affected by the prosals.
Children’s cancer centres (known as Principal Treatment Centres) provide diagnosis, treatments, and coordination of very specialist care. There are 13 of them in England.
‘Business case’: the report about children’s cancer care, published in March this year
The move is being made in part because of limitations in intensive-care provision at the Royal Marsden. In 2021, new service rules set out that specialist cancer treatment services for children must be on the same site as a level-three children’s intensive care unit. The Royal Marsden does not have one.
This service is currently being provided by St George’s in Tooting. Children’s cancer care at St George’s will also end.
A 12-week public consultation of children, families and staff, run by NHS England at the end of 2023, looked at the options for both St George’s and Evelina Children’s Hospital, prompting a mixed response – with concerns raised about patients travelling further to access care.
Council leaders from Sutton, Kingston, Richmond, Merton, Wandsworth, Surrey County and Croydon signed today’s letter sent to Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health. The cross-party letter – the councils are under Labour, LibDem and Tory control – said: “Our seven councils have taken the unprecedented step of coming together to each submit formal referrals to you to call-in the decision to consolidate the South London and South East Children’s Cancer Principal Treatment Centre at the Evelina Hospital.
“We trust that you are aware that this is a decision we have campaigned against since the intention was first expressed by NHS England.
“Together we represent 2.7million people… We hope our united action on this decision is a signal to you of the strength of feeling we have on the matter.”
The letter from the council leaders, who include Sutton’s Barry Lewis and Croydon Mayor Jason Perry, claims that the cost-benefit analysis conducted by the NHS of journeys to the Evelina “failed adequately to understand the experience of patients – which is of paramount importance”.
The letter states: “Public transport is not a viable option for those with an immuno-suppressed child, and the stress of having to drive through central London, often at short notice… is simply not a viable solution to put families through.”
Unprecedented: seven councils, including Croydon, have joined forces to ask for the children’s cancer decision to be called in by the Secretary of State
The letter quotes one parent as being “completely devastated if this change goes ahead”.
The council leaders refer to St George’s Hospital’s “25 years of delivering cancer care to children, including complex surgery, and this experience cannot be replicated at the Evelina.
“We struggle to see how the difficulties and complexity associated with trying to replicate the existing services and experience at St George’s Hospital, including potentially asking staff to travel between hospitals, represents better value for patient care and safety or improves the conditions and wellbeing of staff.
“We understand that the safest option for patients is to continue services at St George’s Hospital, and that a move to the Evelina would be a step in the wrong direction.
“Making the NHS fit for the 21st Century must place patient experience at the very forefront.”
When announcing the decision four months ago, Dr Chris Streather, medical director for NHS London, said: “Service reconfiguration is rarely easy, but the decision… will ensure that children with cancer in south London and much of the south-east will continue to receive the best possible care now and into the future.”
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If I’ve understood this article correctly, NHS England is saying that because the Royal Marsden doesn’t have a level3 children’s intensive Care Unit services for children with cancer are being provided across 2 hospitals Marsden and St George’s, they want to unify services in one hospital Evelina Waterloo/University College Hospital. Now I don’t understand the consequence of the current position, but it seems to make sense that if there isn’t an intensive care unit that presents a risk to patients.
The article refers to the decision being in part because of this, what are the other reasons?
I realize this is difficult for families and staff when this kind of change is being proposed, but on the evidence provided so far it seems sensible based on children being at a grater risk by not having an intensive care unit at the same location as the treatment.
As I’ve said before, what am I missing.
This is a report about today’s councils’ letters.
The NHS decision-making, consultation and their report was published in detail by them in March.