Craniofacial

(Page last updated: December 2023)

Roles for Leads and Deputy Leads of SSIGs (updated 1 May 2025)

Lead: Mr Moorthy Halsnad - continuing in the role from September 2022 

Deputy Lead: Vacant role  

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Craniofacial surgery units in the UK

There are four Highly Specialised Craniofacial Units designated to provide specialist services for children and adults born with craniofacial problems in England, and one in Scotland.

Referrals by GPs are accepted at Alder Hey (Liverpool), Birmingham and Oxford Children’s Hospitals.  Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London requires GPs use the GOSH online GP referral system. The Units will also take referrals from paediatricians or other hospital consultants.

The Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow will normally only accept referrals from paediatricians/hospital consultants, although direct referrals from GPs may be accepted in certain circumstances.

The scope of the craniofacial service in England:

The craniofacial surgery service is designated to treat all patients with congenital craniofacial conditions as defined in EL(98)1 when they are:

• Complex
• Involve the base of the skull and
• Treatment will require, at an appropriate stage, combined craniofacial procedure as described above.

The service covers referral for assessment of all patients suspected of having one of the following diagnoses, and the treatment and associated follow up of all those in whom the condition is confirmed.

• Sagittal scaphocephaly
• Craniosynostosis craniofacial dysostosis
• Unilateral coronal plagiocephaly
• Bilateral coronal brachycephaly
• Metopic tribgonocephaly
• Lambdoid synostosis
• Apert’s
• Acrocephalo-syndactyly syndromes
• Saethre-Chotzen
• Pfeiffer, Carpenter
• Crouzon’s Syndrome
• Craniofacial dystosis
• Horixontal and Vertical
• Orbital dystopia
• Encephalocele

The scope of the Craniofacial Surgery service in Scotland: In addition to the list of conditions that are managed in English units, the Scottish unit also aims to manage a range of subcranial syndromic (for example- CFM, TCS & etc) and nonsyndromic facial anomalies (Ankylosis)