FAQs on getting treatment

You can begin the process of referring a child on our refer a child for treatment page. You can self-refer to our service – you do not need to be referred by a clinician or hospital.

We accept referrals from the UK and overseas.

Prior to filling in the refer a child for treatment form, our routes to treatment page will take you through the entire pre-referral process step by step.

You may find it useful to read more about funding your care or VISA information.

Once you’ve submitted a referral one of our team will contact you within two UK working days to discuss your case. We will be in touch with a date for an outpatient appointment or inpatient stay as soon as possible.

Whilst we are able to answer any initial questions, to progress with a referral we need to receive a medical report (in English) or a letter from a doctor who has been caring for the child. This can be submitted by parents rather than directly from a GP if that is the preferred route.

If you don’t have either of these, please contact us to discuss your options.

We are a private patient unit within GOSH and we provide care for paying patients both from the UK and overseas.

We are not an NHS service and our care is not free. As a UK resident, your child would be a private patient and you would either need to be able to pay for the care or be covered by medical insurance. This also means that you do not have to be referred by a doctor or clinician to come to the hospital.

For more information about the NHS Great Ormond Street Hospital please visit their website.

Most of our patients have complex conditions. We are unable to provide costs before knowing more about your child and their unique care requirements.

You may wish to know more about funding your care.

No, we only treat children and young people from 0-18 years.

We are a world-renowned paediatric hospital with over 60 specialities and sub-specialities. Our expert consultants frequently treat children with very complex and rare conditions.

You may like to search our medical conditions page for a specific condition to see if it listed, however please be aware that this is not an exhaustive list of the conditions we’re able to treat.

If you contact us with more information and your child’s medical report, we will advise if GOSH is the right hospital for your child.

Please note that consultants at GOSH do not see private patients if they are UK residents, NHS eligible, and have conditions in the following areas:

Neurology, Metabolic Medicine, Haematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant and all other transplants.

The reason for this is that children with these conditions need continued and well-coordinated care, and good communication from the outset with their local paediatric services is essential. Under private treatment, we are unable to provide the long term local support services that these children require.

For overseas patients we are unable to offer heart and lung transplants.

If you would like to come and see a specific consultant or team, please let us know when you are completing the online referral form, or when you are in contact with our Referrals Team. We will do our best to make sure you are seen by your requested consultant.

In some circumstances, a requested consultant may not be able to see you. The Referrals Team will work with your preferred consultant to suggest a suitable alternative.

Please contact us with more information about your request. Our Referrals Team will advise you on the most appropriate course of action.

We are unable to offer care free of charge. The nature of most of our patient’s care means that it is complex and very specialised, requiring multiple specialists, equipment, procedures, medicines and care. These all have associated costs that need to be paid.

The GOSH Charity exists to help support and improve the hospital, and is not used to provide funds for children’s treatment.

For more information please read our funding page or contact us.