Back in July, following the public consultation on the future of children’s heart surgery units across England, the decision of the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts was announced and the great news came that Southampton Children’s Heart Surgery Unit would be saved from the axe.
There had been huge public support to retain the services in Southampton ensuring patients from the Isle of Wight did not have to travel to London or Bristol for specialised care.
It was announced yesterday that health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, was calling for a review of the proposed closure of children’s heart surgery units in Leeds General Infirmary and the Royal Brompton in London.
It’s unclear at this stage whether the review of Leeds and Royal Brompton hospitals will have an impact on the decision announced earlier in the year by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, but we’ll posing questions to the relevant body.
Decision by Committee
The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts met in public in July to decide the future configuration of children’s congenital heart services. They considered twelve options for change and decided that Option B would provide the best quality care.
This meant Specialist Surgical Centres in Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Southampton and two London hospitals, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Evelina Children’s Hospital would remain open.
Thanks to Paddy Noctor for the heads up
Image: Foreign Commonwealth Office under CC BY 2.0
