Evelina London chosen as new site for Royal Marsden child cancer services

Specialist child cancer services for people in much of South East England will be moved from the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton to the Evelina London, NHS England has announced.

Evelina London was chosen due to its “wide range of services, support for hospitals across its catchment area to look after poorly young patients, and strong performance in research”, NHS England said.

The move comes following concerns that the Royal Marsden, which serves patients from south London, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Medway, does not have a children’s intensive care unit.

A public consultation was launched, with St George’s Hospital in Tooting and Evelina London in Lambeth proposed as alternative sites.

London medical director at NHS England, Dr Chris Streather, thanked everyone who took part in the public consultation.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

National guidelines require that children’s cancer services be co-located with intensive care to reduce transfer risks and stress for children and their families, NHS England added.

The move will not take place until after October 2026 at the earliest.

Parents had previously campaigned against the services moving from the Royal Marsden, arguing that alternative sites, such as the Evelina, would increase journey times for most patients.

Evelina London was singled out by campaigners as being within the congestion zone, potentially leading to increased costs as only one family member can be reimbursed for travel.