Children’s cancer care: Seven councils representing 2.7m people take unprecedented joint action

Seven councils have joined together to speak against children’s cancer care moving to the Evelina in Central London

Wandsworth, Richmond, Kingston, Sutton, Croydon, Merton and Surrey County Council have all written to the new Secretary of State for Health accompanying their formal referral of the decision.

This unprecedented cross-party campaign between seven local authorities shows the strength of feeling on this issue.

Parents of children who currently receive care at St George’s have said they would be “completely devastated” by plans to move care away from the hospital with additional stress involving having to drive into central London (public transport is not a viable option for those with an immunosuppressed child with cancer).

St George’s Hospital has 25 years of experience delivering cancer care, including complex surgery, and this experience cannot be replicated at the proposed replacement in central London.

The letter signed by all seven council leaders, representing 2.7million people, states that the “safest option for patients is to continue services at St George’s Hospital” and that a move “would be a step in the wrong direction.”

Simon Hogg, Leader of Wandsworth Council, said:

“This unprecedented coming together of councils from across the political spectrum shows just how important keeping cancer care at St George’s is to us all. Between us we represent 2.7 million people and we are united in saying ‘keep specialist children’s cancer care in Wandsworth.’

“St George’s is a fantastic hospital and parents have been very clear – they do not want the upheaval of moving to another specialist centre. Getting to hospital through central London traffic will be challenging at the best of times and travelling by public transport is not an option for children who are on immunosuppressant medication.

“Together with Richmond, Kingston, Sutton, Croydon, Merton and Surrey County Council we are asking the Secretary of State to work with us to protect our communities at their most vulnerable time. We need to keep specialist care at St George’s hospital.”

St George's Hospital in Tooting has 25 years of experience in caring for children with cancer from across the south of England. The children's cancer service currently provides  paediatric care to all of south London, most of Surrey, Kent, Medway, East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.

Find out more about Wandsworth’s campaign against moving specialist children’s cancer care away from the borough.

Read the joint letter to the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care.