Evelina Children's Hospital chosen for children's cancer care

Children's cancer services for south London and the South East will move, despite a petition against the change receiving 12,000 signatures.

From autumn 2026, the Evelina London Children's Hospital in Lambeth will provide this care.

Treatment for about 1,400 children aged under 15 is currently provided by The Royal Marsden Hospital at Sutton and St George's Hospital in Tooting.

"This is an incredibly hard decision," said London director Caroline Clarke.

"I've got a 14-year-old and I cannot imagine what it's like, so to those of you who are parents and carers on that journey: thank you so much for your involvement in that process and I just want to recognise how difficult that's been for people," she told the South West London and Surrey Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

In the future, radiotherapy will be provided at University College Hospital instead.

The cancer service treats children from south London, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Kent and Medway and most of Surrey.

On Wednesday, the BBC heard from the parents of a child who supported the move due to the 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, but 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 now that Evelina has been chosen.

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.

Prof Nicholas Van As, medical director for the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are incredibly proud of the high quality and safe services that we provide to children with cancer and the consistently excellent feedback we receive from both patients and families about their experiences.

"We have been clear throughout this process that the Royal Marsden will always support any change which is in the best interests of patients and their families.

"I would like to reassure our patients and families that there will be no sudden changes to how children and young people currently receive their care and we remain wholly committed to providing the best possible service."

A spokesperson for St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We know this news will be disappointing for our many doctors, nurses, play therapists and other staff who provide specialist cancer care to children at St George's.

"We would like to thank families, staff and everyone who contributed to the consultation.

"We will continue to provide outstanding care to children with cancer and work with NHS England, our partners and communities as this process continues."

A spokesperson for Evelina London Children's Hospital said it welcomed the decision, adding it "will provide joined up and innovative care for children with cancer, in family-friendly facilities".

They added: "We remain fully committed to working with patients, their families, staff from the current service, and other partners to design the new service - with children, young people and staff at its heart, to ensure continuity of care during the transition period and to agree a plan for the transfer of the service."

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