‘NHS nursery closure could mean I can’t do my job’

For parents of children at a south London nursery for medical staff, closing their affiliated nurseries is more than an inconvenience.

They say it could mean that they are unable to keep doing their healthcare jobs to the same standard.

“My son was born with complex medical needs. He is very much affected in terms of speech, language, relationships, learning and he struggles with transitions,” explains oncologist Sian Cooper.

Her son Ali, age four, goes to Cedar House Nursery, a vital service for her and her husband, a psychiatry trainee. It is one of two nurseries based at Maudsley Hospital in Camberwell, south London, which serve mainly hospital staff and are due to close early next year.

“It’s scary and I really worry about Ali because I just don’t think he’s going to get as good provision for six months elsewhere.

“The worst-case scenario is that myself and my husband would have to cut down our working days, taking time away from patient care.”

Parents are petitioning and protesting against the closures but the NHS trusts behind the nurseries, the South London Maudsley, which runs Cedar House, and King’s College Hospital, insist they have no choice.

Both trusts say they have had to make this difficult decision because soon they will not be able to use the building as a base and that alternative options are not “financially viable”.

For the parents affected, they say it is about more than just the financial aspect.

One parent said: “Here they understand that if someone’s called into a high-risk environment, or has to deal with a patient having a mental health crisis, the staff here will support you.”

“If you’re two minutes late, it’s fine because they understand the type of job that we have to do,” said another parent.

Dr Claudia Hallett, a principal clinical psychologist, said: “We’ve had consultants not taking up their job opportunities in the trust, because of the lack of supervision provision, therefore going other trusts.”

Ibrahim Kalokoh who is a clinical services lead at Southwark Inpatient Services, said: “I run about seven wards, so I have to be there a lot. It’s great to have someone who can step in to look after my child if I really can’t get back.”

“It’s the best trust to work for purely because of the nursery. It’s supported me through having three children and three maternity leaves,” said Dr Harriet Mellotte, a senior clinical psychologist.

A King’s College Hospital spokesperson said: “Despite the exploration of various options, including sourcing an alternative building in the local area, building a new nursery facility and looking at the opportunities for having a joint nursery with colleagues at the Maudsley Hospital, none have proved to be financially viable.

“This is not the outcome that we had hoped we could achieve but we are unable to use Mapother House as a base for the service beyond next year, and despite an exhaustive search, we have sadly not been able to identify a financially sustainable way to continue providing the service going forward.

“We are committed to supporting parents who use the nursery to find alternative childcare provision as we transition towards closure in 2025.”

Similarly, a spokesperson for South London and Maudsley said: “We have had to take the difficult decision to permanently close the day nursery used by some members of staff working at the trust.

“Despite the exploration of various options, including sourcing an alternative building in the local area, building a new nursery facility, and looking at the opportunities for having a joint nursery with King’s, none have proved to be financially viable.

“We will be helping affected parents to find alternative nursery provision for their children and supporting nursery staff as we transition towards closure in 2025.”