25.07.12
Leeds child heart surgery closure delayed
The decision to close the child heart surgery unit in Leeds is to be referred to an independent panel before a final decision is made, delaying the transfer of services to centres in Newcastle and Liverpool.
Yorkshire’s joint health overview and scrutiny committee, which has representatives from 15 local councils, agreed to trigger the procedure – and a similar meeting is due to be held in Leicestershire to protest the closure of the unit at Leicester Glenfield Hospital.
Both hospitals’ child heart surgery units, alongside the Royal Brompton in London, were earmarked for closure to centralise expertise in seven national centres. Leeds would continue to provide pre-op and aftercare for children undergoing surgery at Newcastle or Liverpool.
The NHS Independent Reconfiguration panel will consider the future of the unit, before health secretary Andrew Lansley makes a final decision.
Local people inLeedshave been protesting against the plans and argue that centres must be located according to population distribution. A petition with 600,000 signatures opposes the closure, and MPs from all parties joined the protest, including shadow chancellor Ed Balls.
Councillors in Leicestershire have also criticised the closure process, saying Leicester’s unit was “not considered properly” and that the consultation ignored the hospital’s mobile Ecmo (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) unit.
The Royal Brompton won a high court victory in its battle against the closure decision – but this was eventually overturned by the Court of Appeal.
Medical professionals insist that a smaller number of surgery units is necessary to ensure quality of care for children.
In a joint statement, the Royal College of Surgeons ofEnglandand the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery said: “All surgeons want to be able to deliver the best quality of care for every patient.
“While we understand that people do not want to see the unit that is close to them close, the extensive review process indicates that improvements are achievable by concentrating children’s heart surgery in fewer, larger units in England.”
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