Dozens of staff at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have to find alternative childcare because of its decision to shut down Mapother House, the only onsite dedicated nursery. The nursery, staffed by highly skilled, compassionate and dedicated staff has provided affordable and high quality care to key workers for two decades. Being open for unusually long hours, it is the only early childcare facility able to support NHS staff who work long shifts.

Mapother house, the nursery building, is due to be demolished at the beginning of next year, as part of a massive redevelopment on the Maudlsey Trust’s site. After an initial decision to repurpose the old Camberwell Police Station building to relocate the nursery, the Trust then took a U-turn decision on 17/03/23 to close the day nursery, without any explanation or consultation.

This incredibly short sighted decision will aggravate the Trust’s problems in recruiting and retaining staff. Hospital-based childcare is crucial as NHS staff work long shifts outside normal working hours. In the absence of extended hours care facilities, parents may have to stay at home or look for jobs elsewhere, with potential serious implications for patient safety and standards of care. One of the biggest and busiest Trusts in the country, serving as tertiary referral centre for millions of people in the South East of England is about to become the only major London Trust without an onsite childcare facility for its staff.

The ending of the Nursery without any consultation shows lack of consideration for staff wellbeing and is discriminating against working parents, mothers in particular. In the context of the Government prioritising affordable childcare to encourage women back to work, Kings College Hospital has taken the decision to go in the opposite direction.