Richmond stands with cross-party council coalition to protect local children’s cancer care

We have joined forces with six other councils, representing 2.7 million residents, to oppose the relocation of children’s cancer care services from St George’s Hospital in Tooting to the Evelina London Children’s Hospital in central London.

The councils – Richmond, Wandsworth, Kingston, Sutton, Croydon, Merton and Surrey County Council – have expressed significant concerns about the impact of this move on children and their families and have written a joint letter to the new Secretary of State for Health, accompanying their formal referral of the decision.

Councillor Gareth Roberts, Leader of Richmond Council said: “Moving these vital services to central London would be devastating for families already facing significant challenges. Parents need and deserve the reassurance that their child is receiving the best possible care in a comfortable and familiar environment and the lack of family facilities that this proposal puts forward will only increase the stress these parents endure.

“St George’s has a long-standing reputation for excellence in children’s cancer care which cannot easily be done elsewhere. This, alongside the fact that the proposed move would disrupt continuity of care and the additional travel places an unnecessary burden on families coping with their child’s illness, makes the proposal unjustifiable.

“This unprecedented cross-party coalition shows that this issue goes beyond politics so we urge the Secretary of State to reconsider and keep specialist children’s cancer care at St George’s Hospital.”

St George's Hospital has 25 years of experience in delivering children’s cancer care, including complex surgeries. It is a centre of excellence with an outstanding rating for paediatrics by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 

St George’s currently serves children from across south London, as well as most of Surrey, Kent, Medway, East Sussex, and Brighton and Hove. The move of services to a central London location will make accessing cancer care more difficult for families, especially those outside London, makes transport for immunosuppressed children more challenging and costly.

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