Birmingham Women's and Children's hospitals to merge

The move could mean developing a joint hospital on the Edgbaston health campus.

This would mean closing the Children's Hospital site in Steelhouse Lane and moving to Edgbaston, where the Women's Hospital is based next to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Alternatively, the two say they will also look at the affordability and feasibility of developing their existing sites.

The pair say the merger announcement is the result of months of joint work 'to develop a shared vision for the best children's and women's healthcare built around the whole family'.

It was accelerated when Children's Hospital chief executive Sarah-Jane Marsh was also appointed to head the Women's Hospital this summer.

The two hospitals say work will start in January on preparing an outline business case to define what the merged hospital organisation will look like.

Birmingham Children's Hospital chairman, Dame Christine Braddock, said: "At Birmingham Children's Hospital we are very proud of our clinical excellence and the positive impact we have on the lives of so many children, young people and families.

"In our role as a leader of children's healthcare locally, regionally and nationally, the decision to formalise our plans to merge with Birmingham Women's Hospital is an important next step in our relationship that we know will improve and safeguard our vital services for many generations of families to come."

Birmingham Women's chairman, Elisabeth Buggins, added: "A joint future with Birmingham Children's Hospital would strengthen our position as a strategic leader in services for families and help us stay at the cutting edge of research. This will ensure that we can continue to give our women, babies, children and families access to the very best expertise, techniques and treatment the NHS can offer."

The Children's Hospital was opened in Steelhouse Lane in 1862, with just 16 beds. In 1917 it moved to Ladywood but returned to its original home in 1998. It now treats around 270,600 young people a year.

The Birmingham Women's Hospital also has long roots, dating back to 1842, but has been at its current Edgbaston site since 1994. It is one of only two NHS trusts to specialise in women's health care, looking after 50,000 patients a year. It is also one of the busiest maternity units in the country.