Start Well: less than one week to have your say on proposals before Sunday, 17 March

• The first is a proposal to reduce the number of maternity and neonatal units in NCL from five to four, with all hospitals delivering a minimum of level 2 neonatal care. There are two potential options proposed for consultation. 
  • Option A would mean that services could be delivered at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), Barnet Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and Whittington Health and the closure of the service at the Royal Free Hospital. 
  • Option B would mean that services are delivered at UCLH, Barnet Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital and the closure of the services at Whittington Health.
  • While both options are implementable, option A is the preferred option because on balance the programme has recommended that it has more advantages than option B.
  • In both proposals all maternity and neonatal services would close at one hospital site.

  • In all options there would need to be a focus across all hospitals to deliver best practice standards and our new model of care.  This would include significant additional investment to improve, expand and modernise the estate and facilities in the hospitals that continue to deliver maternity and neonatal care.

• The second is a separate proposal to close the birthing suites at Edgware Birth Centre, while retaining antenatal and postnatal care on the site.
• The third is a proposal to consolidate some surgery for babies and very young children in centres of expertise at Great Ormond Street Hospital and UCLH.

These proposals follow thorough work with clinicians and patients to design services which meet the needs of local people and respond to opportunities to improve, which were identified last year. They can be read in the consultation document on the NCL Integrated Care System website here.