Specialist cancer treatment for Horsham children to switch to new location

NHS leaders announced today (March 14) that it has been decided to move paediatric cancer care from the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton to the Evelina Children’s Hospital in London.

The move is being met with dismay by the parents of some Horsham children being treated at Sutton because they say their children’s journeys to oncology appointments will more than double.

A petition opposing the switch was set up last year. However, the NHS leaders say that the decision to make the change has followed a rigorous process, including a public consultation and an options-appraisal process involving clinical advisers, parents, charities, nurses and research staff.

They say that current facilties at the Royal Marsden do not meet national requirements as it does not have a children’s intensive care unit on site. National guidelines require co-location with intensive care to reduce transfer risks and stress for children and their families.

The Evelina is a specialist children’s hospital which treats 120,000 children a year. An NHS spokesperson said: “Its experienced, expert teams will work with The Royal Marsden and St George’s which provide the current centre to minimise disruption for patients and ensure a smooth handover.”

Children’s cancer centres – known as Principal Treatment Centres - provide diagnosis, treatments, and coordination of specialist care for children aged 15 and under with cancer. There are 13 of them in England.

NHS England London medical director Dr Chris Streather said: “This is a positive step forward for children’s cancer care – at the new location, children who need intensive care will be able to get it on site and the future centre will stand ready to give cutting-edge treatments that require intensive care on site, like other major centres worldwide.

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“Service reconfiguration is rarely easy, but the decision taken today 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.”

The move is not expected to take place before October 2026 at the earliest.