Neurosurgery

The Neurosurgery department provides a tertiary service nationally for children with disorders of the brain and spine that require surgical management. It offers surgical opinions, investigations and treatments which because of their unusual or specialist nature cannot be provided by a district general hospital. Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital is one of the leading paediatric neurosurgery units in the United Kingdom and a major paediatric trauma centre. The unit provides neurosurgical input to various highly specialised multidisciplinary teams for the management of conditions such as:

  • Hydrocephalus (including endoscopic management)
  • Brain and spinal tumours
  • Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia
  • Craniofacial surgery
  • Spinal Dysraphism/Spina Bifida
  • Surgical treatment of Epilepsy
  • IMD Complex Cervical Spinal Surgery
  • Trauma to the central nervous system
  • Cerebrovascular disorders such as Arteriovenous Malformations/Moya Moya Disease and cavernous haemangiomas
  • Infections of the Central Nervous

The Neurosurgery secretaries are contactable via the Birmingham Children’s Hospital switchboard at 0121 333 9999. If you know the child’s Paediatric Neurosurgeon’s name please quote this when calling.

Getting referred

The Neurosurgery department at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital provides 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 local community service.

How to refer

All children who attend Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital must be referred via the local paediatrician, paediatric neurologist or local community service.

To make a referral to the Neurosurgery department, please email bwc.neurosurgerysecretaries@nhs.net

Or write to:

Department of Paediatric Neurosurgery
Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Steelhouse Lane
Birmingham
B4 6NH

Guidelines for making referrals

To process a referral to the Paediatric Neurosurgery Department at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, we require the following minimum information:

Patient Details

  • Name and details of the patient including NHS number (if applicable), current GP and lead consultant
  • 18-week pathway information including the date the decision to refer was made
  • Whether an interpreter is required for the child or family
  • Please include, if relevant, details about social services involvement and parental responsibility

Clinical questions

  • Reason for referral such as diagnostic, prognostic, second opinion or other
  • Details of previous opinions
  • Referral letter with current clinical information and referral question

Investigations

Referrals will be rejected unless imaging and other relevant investigations have been received. Therefore, please include:

  • MRI/CT/Xray/Ultrasound
  • EEG/EMG

For urgent referrals please call the switchboard on 0121 333 9999 and request to speak to the neurosurgical on-call team. Urgent queries are dealt with by the on-call team, not by a patient’s named consultant.