Following the decision to relocate children's cancer services in South East England away from St George's Hospital, I met with the Health Secretary with a cross-party group of MPs to raise our concerns.
When I visited the Pinckney Ward where this care is conducted, I met with Jackson, a former patient there, and his parents, who told me that such a move would be detrimental for parents, children and the hospital alike. I have urged the Secretary to review and reconsider NHS England's decision as soon as possible. Today's announcement by NHS England that children's cancer services will be moved away from the world-class unit at St George's Hospital is profoundly disappointing.
As a doctor, I am clear that this decision has not been made in the interests of patients or their families and we're losing more than 25 years of expertise in the field of children's cancer care. I'm calling on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins to immediately review this decision.
In recent weeks, thousands of people across south London and south-east England have signed my petition calling on NHS England to keep children's cancer services at St George's Hospital, including many parents who have told me how worried they are about this proposed closure.
Last week, NHS England launched its consultation on the future of services at St George’s Hospital and I want to make sure that we have every chance to defend and protect our local services. Keeping services at St George's is best for our patients and best for the NHS, but this can only happen with the support of people in the community who will be affected by this decision. Please spare a few minutes to complete to consultation questionnaire and share your views with the NHS. The consultation is running until Monday 18 December. See full details of the consultation here and please share this as widely as possible with friends and family here.
London to Brighton? Completed it.
Fleur Anderson and I absolutely smashed a 55-mile bike ride, raising money for the brilliant St George's Hospital Charity. I can't believe just how challenging it was and I want to thank everyone who helped us to smash our fundraising target. You can still donate here In September, I’ll be taking on the London to Brighton cycle along with Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney. We’re fundraising as part of the Time for a Change appeal to help support St George’s Hospital Charity in their work to provide assistance to patients, their families, and the staff who care for them across St George’s Hospital, Queen Mary’s Hospital, and community sites.
It’s a 55-mile route from Clapham to Brighton, and we’ll be joined by other fantastic #TeamGeorges participants. Neither of us have done this before and it’s a big challenge for us. The Time for a Change Appeal is supporting children’s services at St George’s Hospital. We know that St George's Trust provides absolutely outstanding care for patients and incredible support for families, but sadly the facilities often don’t reflect this level of care. If you want to support us, our JustGiving link is here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/fleurandrosenal2b
On the 75th birthday of the NHS, I joined the amazing team at St George’s Hospital, to say, a big thank you for the incredible care and compassion they show every day. I'm proud to work side-by-side with the team.
The children's cancer centre at St George's Hospital is at risk of closure.
This is deeply concerning. The St George's children's cancer centre has more than 25 years of expertise delivering the highest quality care for patients, which will be lost if the services are moved away from Tooting. Under these plans, patients will be forced to travel to a site in central London. Parents have made it very clear that it is easier, cheaper, safer, and more comfortable to take their children to St George's. There is also a huge added cost. The plans to relocate services will cost an estimated £90 million, more than three times the cost to redevelop facilities at St George's Hospital. Today, I've launched a petition calling on the Government and NHS England to keep the children’s cancer service at St George's Hospital. Add your name and share the petition with friends and family here |
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