Children's services set to be centralised

Under the scheme, inpatient care for youngsters from Leeds and for those from further afield who require specialist care will be centralised at Leeds General Infirmary by May.

For many years, hundreds of children have each year faced transfers across the city for vital care which has been juggled between the infirmary and St James's Hospital. From the spring, youngsters will instead be treated at the infirmary.

Director of planning at hospitals in Leeds Sylvia Craven, who is overseeing the project, said: "Preparing for this move has been a very complex process but I am pleased to say it is going very well. We know there is strong support from parents and staff who are looking forward to this long-awaited move. It will provide improvements to patient care." The changes are part of a much wider 35m reconfiguration of hospital services which will also see adult acute medicine and elderly care centralised at St James's.

Among services transferring from St James's are wards housing children's general medicine, children's cancer and haematology, the teenage cancer unit, the children's bone marrow unit, children's cystic fibrosis, renal and liver surgery, as well as children's intensive care and children's A&E.