Getting referred to the Neurosurgery department

The Neurosurgery department at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) provides a specialist service for the diagnosis (not always possible) and treatment of children 0-16 years of age with neurosurgical disorders, who are already under the care of a paediatrician, paediatric specialist or GP.

If you feel a referral is appropriate and has not been suggested, you should contact your child’s local paediatrician, paediatric neurologists or GP.

All children who attend GOSH must be referred via local hospital consultants, community paediatricians, paediatric neurologists or GPs.

To make a referral to the Neurosurgery department, please email: gos-tr.neurosurgeryreferrals@nhs.net (secure email)

OR write to:

[Consultants name]
Department of Paediatric Neurosurgery
Level 10, Main Nurses Building
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street
London
WC1N 3JH

To process a referral to the Paediatric Neurosurgery Department at GOSH, we require the following minimum information:

name and details of patient including NHS number (if applicable), current GP and lead consultant

18-week pathway information including date referral decision made

Whether an interpreter for the child or family is required

Please include, if relevant, details about social services involvement and parental responsibility

Reason for referral such as diagnostic, prognostic, second opinion or other

Details of previous opinions

Referral letter with current information and referral question

Referrals will be rejected unless imaging (on a CD or electronically transferred via IEP/PACS) and other relevant investigations have been received. Therefore, please include:

MRI / CT / X-ray / Ultrasound

EEG / EMG

For urgent referrals please call the switchboard on 0207 405 9200 and request the neurosurgical on-call team. Urgent queries are dealt with by the on-call team, not by a patient’s named consultant.

The referral will be discussed in conjunction with the GP or local paediatric services and GOSH. Urgent referrals are considered those where patients are requiring acute inpatient transfer.

If you know the consultant the patient is under then please call their PA or named Clinical Nurse Specialist via the hospital switchboard on 020 7405 9200.

For urgent referrals please call the switchboard on 020 7405 9200 and request the neurosurgical on-call team. Urgent referrals are considered those where patients are requiring acute inpatient transfer.

For non-urgent referrals please fax a referral letter with the relevant clinical details and clinical question, as per our referral guidelines above to the Neurosurgical PAs on: 0207 813 8279.

If requesting urgent advice regarding patient management this can be discussed via the neurosurgical on-call team via the switchboard on 020 7405 9200.

If requesting non-urgent advice regarding patient management this please call the relevant consultant's PA via the hospital switch board on 020 7405 9200.

Please note we will only review head/brain/spine scans in patients being considered for transfer to GOSH. For a radiology opinion, scans should be sent to the Radiology department via IEP accompanied by a formal referral letter.

All general feedback and suggestions can be directed to:

Esher Bhamrah
Assistant Service Manager
Telephone number: 020 7405 9200 ext 8145