Doctors in Oxford who look after children with cleft lips could become part of a regional centre of excellence.
The Radcliffe Infirmary treats about 30 children every year with the congenital disorder, which affects one in every 700 people. But after September, surgeons at the city centre hospital could treat up to 100 patients from seven counties annually.
A cleft lip means the roof of the mouth is not fully formed. It is rectified with surgery.
At the moment there are six surgical centres across the south east and south west where patients with the condition are treated.
The new arrangement means that the Oxford surgeons, together with colleagues at Odstock Hospital, in Salisbury, will look after patients from Oxfordshire and other southern regions.
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