Our role in the NHS

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) is part of the NHS. There are over 600 NHS Trusts in the UK.

We provide a range of specialist paediatric services to local, national and international patients. Around half of our patients come from outside of London.

GOSH is referred to as a tertiary hospital. This means that we largely provide third-level specialist care. Primary care generally consists of frontline services such as GPs and dentists, while secondary care is offered by local hospitals.

For more detail about the structure of the NHS see the NHS England and NHS Improvement website.

As a specialist, tertiary care hospital, our referrals originate from another healthcare organisation, such as a local hospital.

GOSH provides a number of services to children throughout the UK through the National Commissioning Group (NCG)

Because of the highly specialist nature of these services they are only provided by a few hospitals in the country

For some services we are the only centre in the UK to that is able to provide the service.

Our work as a hospital is based on the strategic direction established by the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC). The DHSC website contains key national strategies which guide us.

GOSH is a member of UCL Partners. This is one of five accredited academic health science systems in the UK. The purpose is to translate cutting edge research and innovation into measurable health gain for patients and populations – in London, across the UK, and globally.

In 2010, the NHS Constitution established the principles and values of the NHS in England, bringing together what staff, patients and the public can expect from the NHS.

It sets out the rights of patients, public and staff and the pledges that the NHS has made. It also explains the responsibilities of the public, patients and staff to ensure that the NHS operates fairly and effectively.

All NHS bodies (and private and third sector providers supplying NHS services) are bound by law to take account of this Constitution in their decisions and actions.

GOSH has always put patients at the centre of everything we do – our motto is 'the child first and always'.

We heartily support the NHS Constitution and pledge our support to its principles and values. We are already committed to treating our patients with dignity and respect, following the highest standards of care, all of which are included in the NHS Constitution.

Adherence to the values set out in the NHS Constitution is monitored by the Patient/Public Involvement and Experience Committee (PPIEC).

The full version of the NHS Constitution is available, along with summary versions and translations which can be found here.

Braille, audio and alternative language versions are available on request – please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) Office for further details.

Access GOSH's own constitution document, which has been updated in November 2022.
GOSH Constitution November 2022

At a local level we receive guidance from NHS London. NHS London is a health authority that governs NHS bodies. NHS London ensures that we provide high quality services that meet the needs of our patients, and provide value for money.