If you are looking for information about your child's outpatient appointment, please visit our appointments page.
Your child's hospital admission (stay)
Arranging your child's hospital stay
If your child needs to be admitted to hospital, for example for an operation or procedure that requires an overnight stay, we will contact you with the details.
The waiting time for admission depends on the length of the waiting list for the service that will be seeing your child. We work closely with the surgeons to place your child in the most appropriate appointment slot.
You will receive written confirmation by letter.
What happens if my child is unwell?
If you are no longer able to bring your child in for their procedure due to illness, please call the pre-assessment clinic on 020 7188 7188, ext 58209, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.
Outside of these hours, or if it is the day of the admission, please bleep 0821. To bleep, call 020 7188 7188 and choose the option for the bleep system. Once connected, follow the instructions to bleep number 0821 and wait for the response.
You will need to list your child's name, date of birth, hospital number (found on your child's admissions and appointment letters), date of admission and consultant name if known.
Cancelling your child's hospital stay
If you need to cancel your child’s hospital admission, for example if you, your child or your household have developed symptoms of COVID-19, please call our admissions centre on 020 7188 9098 and choose from the nine options provided to speak to the team who is caring for your child. A full list of the options available can be found in the orange contact us box on this page.
Leaflets
Admission information for operation or planned tests (PDF 142Kb)
Frequently asked questions about paediatric admissions (PDF 147kb)
Other website pages you might find interesting
Pre-assessment clinic
Some information that will help you prepare for the pre-assessment clinic.
Having an anaesthetic
Information about what to expect when your child is having a general anaesthetic
On the day of your child's operation
Watch a video about how you can prepare your child for an operation or planned test.
If you are worried about your child getting worse in hospital, please contact 020 7188 6404. Find out more about our hospital helpline.